Abarat: The Twilight Princess
by RazzMcazz
Summary: Rose has wondered about her family her entire life, but when a strange looking cat takes her literally into a new world, she will have to learn how to save it. Accompanied by a lost prince, a sleepy dragon, and a whole cast of characters from the beloved Abarat, an adventure of great and unspeakable power will unfold in Abarat: The Twilight Princess
1. Prologue

The sea was blowing in a cold wind as the Queen of Day stared off into the horizon where a dark cloud was growing bigger the longer she stood. The Night was coming once again, trying to steal the light from her domain. In her arms, the young babe lay asleep, her moon eyes closed to the tragedy that was about to unfold. How she wished things could be different...

"You don't have to do this" she heard a familiar voice say behind her.

She sighed, knowing he would say that, knowing that he would try anything to convince her not to do what she had to.

"Carrion" she said softly "It's the only way."

"No it isn't" he said placing a bony hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at him, his frightening face softened since he had become one of her most trusted friends along with Malingo and John Mischief, but today, his face was hard and full of sadness.

"Kry is coming" she said looking up into those stone eyes "And if I don't do this the Islands will be wiped out completely."

"I can protect you" he said sternly "I can protect the-"

"You cannot protect both of us" she said looking away from him "Not with Kry. Not with Motley. One of us needs to go."

She began to walk away from him, the skirt of her dress flowing into the shore of the beach along the coast of the the Nonce. A tiny basket swirled along with the sea, as if the Izabella herself was waiting to receive an offering.

"I'm so sorry" she said looking down at her beautiful little girl, her blonde hair sticking to her scalp from the salty water that was splashing against them. She knew this was the only way. The Abarat would survive as long as one of them did. Quietly she rocked her babe against her breast, her lips humming a small lullaby against the child's head before placing her down in the wicker basket. Carefully she pulled out the locket she had spellbound around the babe's neck before carefully tucking her tight in the wicker.

She pushed the basket away into the water, watching as the sea took her babe away as the tears blurred her vision quickly.

Yes, it was the only way she would be safe.

"CANDY!" she heard her name being screamed from the beach as she turned to face not only Carrion now on the beach, but Malingo and his child as well. Little Lupita, her blue skin glittering against the fading light ran straight into the ocean after the basket, but Candy solemnly shook her head, knowing the girl wouldn't catch up to the speed of the Izabella's tide.

"What have you done?" Malingo said coming into the waters of the shore as Carrion followed silently behind.

"What I must" she said closing her eyes.

"But.." Malingo began but his words fell short with what he realized her words meant.

"Carrion" Candy said turning her head slightly as the former Prince of Midnight came to her side.

"My Queen" he said trying to mask the anger in his voice.

"You must protect her" Candy said looking straight at him "Promise me."

Carrion's brow furrowed as he tried to understand why she would request this of him. He was not the child's father. A promise in the Abarat was a spell in itself, if he promised, he would be bonded to the child.

"Christopher" Candy said sharply "Promise me you **will** protect her. No matter the cost, no matter the situation."

Carrion simply shook his head and agreed "I will protect her."

Candy gently raised her hand and pressed her palm against his face as Malingo switched from watching them to watching Lupita sea skip her way into the horizon to hopefully catch up to the wicker basket that had disappeared moments ago.

"For your promise, I will give you one last thing" Candy said letting the magic of the Abarat start to fill her body.

Carrion remained silent, watching as the magic took hold of the Queen's body, her skin becoming light as she began to raise up in the air like a restored star that was about to rejoin the heavens above.

Malingo could not help it, he began to cry, knowing he could not stop his lady from doing what she had to, to save them all. It was a curse, this magic she held, for it only brought death to the ones people loved the most.

* * *

Lupita ran as fast as her webbed feet were allowing her, her small body still trying to learn the ways of a sea skipper, even if she was only a halfling. Her dark matted hair whipped around her blue tinted face as she saw the wicker basket in her view.

"So close!" she said to herself.

The Izabella was not being forgiving today. Usually her mother would take her out near Yzil where the waters were a bit calmer, but out here in the Night seas, the dark water was choppy and the waves massive.

She knew her father would scold her up and down if she made it back, baby or no baby. She had never wandered this far away, but seeing the little princess that she had watched come into this world being sailed away, well, her tiny heart couldn't let it happen just like that. Despite what the Queen thought, what everyone thought, Lupita couldn't just let the princess go like this.

Bursting through the water Lupita screamed as she dodged a thick sea serpent that almost swallowed the basket up whole ahead of her, but the Izabella was crafty and had whirlpooled the basket away just as the serpent went crashing into the sea.

"Faster Lupita! Faster!" she yelled to herself over the roaring thunder above her that was no doubt about to bring rain.

They were far into the Night now, the darkness of the clouds making the light almost completely black, just like the Hag had wanted since Lupita could remember. And now her precious little friend was heading straight towards the edge of the sea!

She weaved and jumped through the waters, her dress now sticking to her body as she was drenched from head to fins. The edge of the Abarat was something her father only told her about late at bedtime, when she needed something to dream about. But seeing it now, it was a sight to behold as the water just seemed to merge with the sky, the drop off into an unknown mist that only her father and the Queen had gone through and lived.

And the basket was inches away from falling in.

"NO!" she screamed as she splashed forward, but her feet had tripped over themselves and she went crashing into the water, her mouth filled with the salty sea as she swam up to the surface quickly.

But to her horror, the basket disappeared over the edge into the mist as Lupita screamed before crawling on top of a nearby rock that overlooked the edge below.

"No" she whimpered as the wind of the mist blue her hair away from her face "Princess..."

She held her face in her hands, her small body shivering and heaving as heavy tears started to soak her face.

But then, the wind changed, no longer blowing up as it had been only moments ago. She quickly wiped her tears away and looked down, only to gasp at the sight below her.

The mist had swirled and opened, like a portal into another land, as Lupita watched the basket laying peacefully in a field of flowers. The baby slept quietly, as if she had not been disturbed from the crossing whatsoever.

Lupita felt her mouth inhale quickly as a figure appeared near the basket.

It was a man, a young man as he looked around bewildered and then back down at the basket. Quickly but gently he picked up the baby, his finger brushing her little blonde curls away from her face.

Lupita sighed, the feeling inside of her chest slowly relaxing as she realized this man would not harm the little princess. The mist began to swirl again, closing the portal and leaving Lupita the last image of the princess anyone would see.

"Come back someday" Lupita whispered "Come and save us, like she saved you."

And with that, the baby was gone from the Abarat.

Lupita rubbed her eyes again and turned back towards the sea of the Izabella, knowing she would be in a lot of trouble when she got back to the Nonce. She began to descend off the sea rock when suddenly a light caught her attention in the distance of the horizon. Lupita stopped and stood watching this light, that ascended slowly up and up until Lupita guessed the whole Abarat could see it, especially since she was this far away.

The light grew bigger and brighter, a ethereal brightness that Lupita couldn't look away from. Then like a bomb, it imploded in on itself and then exploded in a great burst of light that seemed to shake the heavens, the air knocking Lupita back against the rock as the dark clouds were blown away like feathers in the wind. She pushed her hands against her ears as the deafening roar blew past her.

And then, silence.

As Lupita stood back up, her shaky legs straightening their best, Lupita saw the light, tiny and glowing in the air before disappearing gently.

She knew then, that everything she had ever known had changed.

For better, and for worse.

Abarat: The Twilight Princess


	2. Chapter 1: When Life Begins

"Wake up Rosie!" a squeal screamed as a pillow was slammed against her face, the morning at Summerside's Home for Underprivileged Children like every other for Rose. Except she wasn't a child anymore, but that didn't stop the ones that were from waking her up every morning while Mrs. Ana got everyone dressed and ready for the morning. And it was Rose's turn to make breakfast.

"I'm up Eddie, you don't have to hit me again" she grumbled as the seven year old tried to smack her once again with his pillow.

"Sorry" he giggled as he jumped off the bed as Rose opened her eyes to two sets staring back at her from the edge of her bed.

"Kelsey heard you talking in your sleep again" one of the little girls said as the other shushed her quickly.

"Grace! I told you not to tell her!" Kelsey said obviously annoyed that the other couldn't keep their secret.

"I was? Sorry about that Kelsey" Rose said sitting up and brushing her fingers through her blonde hair.

"Mrs. Ana says it's because you were up late painting again" Eddie said coming around to the edge of the bed with the girls.

Mrs. Ana was the head of the house at Summerside's, an older black woman that had a laugh that nearly boomed outside when she was in a good mood.

"Well I gotta do something if I can't sleep" Rose shrugged, knowing the younger children being in her room wasn't uncommon. In fact, they tried to come in every chance they could. Rose was going to be twenty one this year, and Mrs. Ana had let her stay at Summerside's well past her eighteenth birthday, and in return Rose was hired as Mrs. Ana's assistant with the children. To the kids, that made Rose probably the coolest young adult they knew, seeing her not as an authority figure, but also not a child. A strange in between which was exciting and curious to a bunch of six to twelve year olds.

"Alright, everyone out while I get dressed" she said shooing the three out of her room in the attic, their feet pounding down the stairs as they alerted the others that Rose was up and about to make breakfast.

Quickly Rose pushed her hair up into a messy bun, while a summer dress served nicely as she tied her apron around her waist. Mrs. Ana didn't require Rose to wear one, but trying to clean and keep the little ones out of stuff could get pretty messy and she didn't have the money to be spending on new clothes. She was saving up, and after a few more days she would actually have enough to go where she had been dreaming about for years.

Chickentown, Minnesota.

It sounded so stupid, and so crazy, but according to the files Mrs. Ana had given her, that was where she was from originally. The paperwork had said that she had been given up by an anonymous person who Rose presumed must be her mother, but with America today there wasn't any foster homes willing to take her, so Rose as a young baby had been sent a few states away to Summerside's home where she had lived her entire life. Sure she had people interested in adopting her, but the minute she met them, they had overlooked her because of her deformity.

"More like a curse" she said to herself as she popped a colored contact into her eyes.

Rose was...different. Where normally a child's eyes changes color with the changing season's, Rose's eyes changed color the minute she started crying, or laughing, or fuming, and it wasn't just any kind of color, she had caught herself with orange eyes that nearly glowed in the night, dark green and red anytime she felt angry or jealous, magenta when she had been caught off guard, you name it. Chartreuse? Vermillion? Peach? Bubblegum Pink? She had seen every color, and while Rose wanted answers, Mrs. Ana didn't have the money to even dream of getting a medical opinion on Rose's...condition. So with a little online help, Mrs. Ana bought Rose colored contacts in the darkest brown, that way even the brightest of colors couldn't shine through and Rose could go day to day without feeling like a freak show.

It was just another thing to ask when she found her family.

Rose sighed and headed downstairs, grabbing ingredients for pancakes along the way through the pantry doors that led into the kitchen. Mrs. Ana was already working on getting one of the smaller children to put his shoes on the right foot as she caught Rose's lost look before she quickly got started on the breakfast.

 _"Just a few more days"_ she thought to herself _"And then you'll know everything you need to know."_

"Rose will you get Jonathon's shirt straight? Kid put it on backwards again" Mrs. Ana said as Jonathon giggled knowing full well what he had done.

Rose finished the pancakes, straightened Jonathon's shirt, cleaned the dishes, swept, rearranged some of the rooms and did the laundry before putting the smaller children down for a nap. By the time she actually sat down for a moment it was already four o'clock and the rest of the kids would be getting home from school. Rose sighed, taking a moment to take her long hair out and brush out some of the tangles she always managed to get.

"Rose?" she heard her name called as Mrs. Ana rounded the corner "Why don't you go upstairs for a nap, I can handle the crew for the afternoon."

"You sure?" Rose said looking up at Mrs. Ana as her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sure. Kelsey told me you didn't sleep well " Ana said nodding.

"She said I was talking in my sleep again" Rose said shaking her head.

"You always do this time of year" Mrs. Ana said "Ever since you came here. Always around your birthday you start getting a bit restless. Must be the change in your body comin along."

"Must be" Rose said indifferently "I'll go upstairs and lay down for a bit then I'll help with bedtime."

"Alright take it easy Rosie" Mrs. Ana said as Rose walked slowly up the stairs.

Rose thought about what Ana had just said, about her birthday and the dreams. She guessed it was true, she had some of the most vivid dreams, sometimes about the sea, and clouds and people she had never met or seen. As Rose walked into her room she stared at all the artwork around her room, pictures, scraps of paper, canvas, and artwork she had painted on the walls, all of it from her dreams.

By no means did Rose consider herself an artist, but since she had even thought about trying to explain what she saw in her head, she needed to get it out, just so it wouldn't dwell there for too long. So she had picked up paper and just began scribbling, sometimes just lines like waves, others portraits so detailed she didn't realize where her hand had begun or ended.

The recent one was an island, although Rose had never seen one besides in books and online. But no island she saw looked like the one that had come from inside her head. There was flora that looked unheard of, colors that didn't seem tropical but fit in none the less, and the water around the island, only Rose's eyes had ever gotten that shade of blue...

But now, she didn't want to dream, didn't want to think about the fantastic world her mind was creating at night, now all she wanted was to think of home. She wanted to know what her mother looked like, if her father had a beard, if she had siblings, if any of them were even alive.

That's what she wanted, that's what she'd always wanted.

Rose reached down the neckline of her dress and pulled out the locket that she had since she could remember. It's small gold chain was so thin Rose had always been afraid she would somehow break it, but it never had, mostly because it had never left her neck physically. She had tried to take it off, but the damn thing would always get caught on her hair, or seem to shrink so that it wouldn't fit over her head despite the locket at the end hitting her right on her chest. And the stone in the locket, it looked like an opal but she couldn't tell for sure since the colors seem to change every time she looked in the thing. Just another strange thing in her seemingly boring life. Her locket, her eyes, her dreams, everything about her seemed so weird compared to everyone else she knew. And she had no answers to any of them.

Rose lay back down on her bed, her fingers twiddling with the locket as she closed her eyes. Her body willing her to sleep although her mind was buzzing.

Just a few more days...

* * *

A gasp escaped into the air as Rose shot out of bed, the beads of sweat coating her forehead as she wiped her hair out of her face, her nose taking deep breaths to stop her rabbit heart from beating through her chest.

"What was that about?" she whispered to herself as she stood slowly, letting the blood rush back into her legs.

Looking out the window it was clearly night time, meaning Mrs. Ana had let her sleep through dinner and bedtime. Rose guessed that Ana thought she needed it and let her be.

Suddenly, Rose saw a face, a face from her dreams. This time it was clear, like a picture she had stared at many times. Quickly she grabbed some paints and began painting along the wall, one of the few open spaces in her room, but just enough so that she could paint the person she was remembering.

She painted for what seemed like minutes but by the time she was done she looked out the window and saw the faint glow of the sky right before the sun crossed over the horizon. When she looked back though, she was staring straight at her dream person, except...it was a boy.

Boy was probably the wrong word, she had used that term often when working with the children. But this person was a young man, maybe a little older than herself, with high cheekbones and full lips. It was his eyes though that struck her, a blue so bright and clear it looked like heaven. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen, even if he wasn't real in the slightest.

Somehow though, when she looked at him something felt...different.

All the other paintings and drawings she had made had seemed like old photographs, like something she had once had but lost. This guy, it was so different, she felt like she was actually staring at a real person, his features so clear so familiar as she reached out and touched the wet paint with her fingertips. It felt like...

A knock made Rose jump and her fingers swipe some of the paint away from her dream person as she turned and quickly went to the door.

When she opened it though it wasn't one of the children, but Mrs. Ana herself.

"Did you sleep well?" Ana said as Rose composed herself.

"I did, I'm sorry for missing dinner and bed time" Rose said brushing some of the paint on her leg.

"Don't worry about it" Ana said "Rose, I have something for you. I know it's been weighing on your mind about finding your family, so I talked to the bank and I took out a little money" she said pulling out an envelope "And I bought you tickets for the bus. Now it doesn't take you all the way there, you'll have to take a cab or walk a little ways, but there's enough in there to get you where you need to go and get food and a hotel."

Rose stood gaping at the envelope and then back at Mrs. Ana. With that money and the amount she had saved up it was more than enough to last more than a month or two at a hotel until she found her family.

"I don't know what to say" Rose said with tears in her eyes.

"Say thank you" Ana said smiling "And hurry and pack your things, your bus leaves in a few hours."

Mrs. Ana kissed Rose on the cheek before going down the stairs to get breakfast ready. Rose still stood shocked at the whole thing before starting to shake with excitement. In a day or two she would be on her way to her family, her home, at last!

Quickly, as if she hadn't been planning this for months she grabbed a few change of clothes and essential items in a backpack quickly, her money being stuffed in one of the pockets while the envelope was zipped up securely. Before she walked out the door though she stopped and stared at the painting of the man, her finger scratches across his cheek that had seemed so real at the time...

She placed her hand back where it had been and smiled softly to herself.

"Hopefully I see you again" she said quietly before letting her feet lead her out the door and into the whole new world waiting for her.


	3. Chapter 2: The Oldest Game

The bus ride to Chickentown Minnesota was a very unscenic one. Rose had watched out the window and had seen the golden fields of the Midwest, the cornfields that no doubt grew for miles and miles, and then nothing but flatness until they reached farther into the state. Soon though, she reached the town where she would have to get off and trek it to Chickentown. The name to Rose was hilarious, but looking down at the paperwork Mrs. Ana had given her, what was even stranger was the name listed that was from the person that had given her away to the state in the first place.

Rick Quackenbush.

"What a name" Rose thought to herself. Was this her father? She was hoping to meet her mother first, but if Rick Quackenbush was her father she would be just as happy to see him as well.

The road to Chickentown was a long and boring one. Either side of the road showed nothing but almost gray fields, and the road's condition made it seem as if nobody really up kept the pavement for would be travelers. Rose adjusted her backpack against her shoulders, the weight barely bothering her from how excited she was. She had packed a few dresses, shoes, hairbrush, toothbrush, underwear, feminine products, money, and the little make-up and hair ties that she owned. Today she wore one of her dresses, the breeze nice as her legs walked tenaciously down the highway, her worn out boots squeaking in protest from being used so often. Her long wavy blonde hair flowed behind her, but if she saw she was getting closer to the town she would put it up in a ponytail or a bun, wanting to at least look presentable and not wind blown.

Her heart was beating wildly and she wished it would calm down or else the first words out of her mouth would be nothing but jiberish. She had dreamnt of this moment her entire life, hoping, praying that she would someday meet her parents. She didn't expect them to welcome her with open arms, or apologize for giving her up, she had made her peace with those situations a long time ago, but if they even seemed relatively happy to see her at all, that would be enough.

"Rose Quackenbush" she mumbled to herself "Maybe I should just stick to Doe instead."

Suddenly a rustling in the grass made Rose almost jump out of her shoes as she quickly spun around towards the noise in the field next to her. She hadn't brought any protection as she cursed under her breath as she tried to think quickly what was her next move if it turned out to be any kind of predator.

Instead the rustling grew faint before a small mew escaped into the air as Rose sighed seeing a tiny kitten emerge from the grass with a small shake of it's fur.

"Awe look at you" she said crouching down to hold out her hand to the small cat.

The orange tabby kitten looked at Rose's hand warily before coming up slowly and rubbing it's cheek against her fingers. Rose noticed one of it's back legs was missing as it hopped along the rest of her arm marking it's scent on her.

"You poor thing" Rose cooed as she scratched the kitten behind it's ears "Let me see if I have something for you to eat."

Carefully so not to scare the kitten away, Rose shrugged off her backpack and rummaged through it till she found some of her leftover turkey sandwich she had on the bus. She pulled off some meat and let a little dangle from her fingers for the kitten to examine it. The kitten took a small sniff at the meat before greedily chowing down on it.

Rose smiled and cooed at the kitten some more noticing it was a male kitten and commented on his nice tabby pattern and his big glowing yellow eyes. The kitten mewed some more at Rose, obviously liking the unexpected attention. Rose gave him the rest of the meat on her sandwich before standing up and taking a look towards the direction where Chickentown lay ahead.

"Well I really don't want to leave you little guy" Rose said looking down at the kitten "But I'm not sure if you would follow me all the way to town, and I gotta get to Chickentown at least before dark."

The kitten surprisingly looked at her thoughtfully before coming up and rubbing his body around her legs, his tiny frame small against her boots. He looked up at her and mewed repeatedly until Rose bent down and picked him up gently, hoping not to injure another one of his back legs.

"You really want to test this out?" she said looking down at the kitten who was purring contently "Alright but if you freak out and scratch me I'm putting you down."

The kitten mewed once again before snuggling in her arms and enjoying the ride. Rose smiled down at the kitten, glad that it was trusting her enough for her to carry him. She loved animals, big and small, even the tiny spiders that liked to make their home in the corners of her room, as long as they stayed just there.

"I gotta think of a name for you" she said more to herself than the kitten. It helped to talk out loud, she didn't feel as nervous.

"What do you think about Scrat?" she said looking down at the kitten. He stared back at her, almost glaring which made Rose's eyebrows shoot up.

"Guess not" she said trying to think of something else "Hmmm Tabby is too plain, Tiger is overused. Maybe something dignified? What about Bernard?" Another glare, this one a little softer "Okay what about Hannibal? That sounds dignified enough."

A small happy mew escaped his mouth and Rose smiled wider at the approval.

"Hannibal it is then" Rose said happily giving the kitten another good scratch behind the ear.

Rose could see the remnants of a town up ahead and she felt like sprinting if it wasn't for her new friend in her arms.

"Looks like we are getting close" Rose said smiling as her stride picked up from the long walk. The town got closer and closer but the more Rose could make out of it the less she began to smile. What she thought would be a small quiet town looked more like a run down ghost town. The windows in shops were boarded up while various cars were vacant and rusty. The speed limit signs seemed bleached by the sun as Rose started to walk within the town streets.

"This is like a page out of a scary movie" Rose said hugging Hannibal a little tighter to her chest. She didn't want to lose her little friend and run around the corner of a building after him only to stumble upon something unsightly. The racing in her heart was now turning from excitement to fear as Rose noticed weeds growing in between the sidewalks, wild and rural as she continued her path down the long road through Chickentown.

She looked down at the address on her paper and checked around for any streets by that name.

"Nothing" she huffed " and still nobody."

This was creepy. Unsettling creepy.

"Not one single person around" she said to Hannibal "No cars no nothing."

Hannibal meowed loudly just then as Rose noticed there wasn't just nothing as a pack of chickens began pecking their way across Rose's path. She stared wide eyed and open mouthed as the gang of chickens looked over her for a moment before waddling forward to peck at the ground some more.

"What the hell is this place?" Rose said rubbing her eyes just to be sure she was seeing right.

"Chickentown" a voice said from a window. Rose's head shot up in the direction of the voice as she saw a weathered face of a woman staring down at her from an open window.

"Hello!" she said with some relief at a actual person "Where are all the people?"

"At church" the old woman said, her hollow eyes twitching around quickly.

"Church?" Rose said a little confused "At dinnertime? And all of them?"

"Not all" she said roughly "Not me."

"Well" Rose said a little unsure with what to do with that information "Could you tell me where Quincy Street is?"

The woman visibly shuddered "Why do you want to know that?"

"I'm looking for someone" Rose said plainly.

The woman's eyes seem to dart around some more before motioning for Rose to come closer. Rose felt strange but did as the old woman wanted and stepped a little closer to the building where the old woman sat in the window above.

"Who?" the woman hissed.

"Excuse me?" Rose said trying to hear.

"Who girl!? Who?" the woman nearly growled at Rose.

"Uhm" Rose said almost forgetting "Rick. Rick Quackenbush."

"The other son" the woman said probably to herself "You find him two blocks north and one block east."

"On Quincy Street?" Rose said trying to make out what the old woman was trying to tell her.

"Yes! Yes!" she hissed again "But you don't tell him I said so. I'm supposed to be at church. Don't need Bill coming to get me. No no..." she mumbled before disappearing into the darkness of the room above.

Rose tried to back up and look in to catch her image but the old woman was gone and Rose was left once again on the empty street of Chickentown.

"That is probably not the strangest thing that has happened to me just so you know" she said looking down at Hannibal who seemed just as intrigued by the old woman as Rose was.

"Two blocks north, one block east" Rose said taking off towards the north "Don't mention old woman. I wonder who's Bill?"

She didn't get an answer as Hannibal seemed to be watching all around them, his golden eyes glaring as Rose stayed on the path. She quickly found Quincy Street, although it didn't look any better than the rest of the town. Two of the buildings on the street looked like a tsunami had hit them while the remaining three were boarded up with tall grass growing in the yards.

"We are looking for 412" Rose said glancing at the paper once again as she found the house thankfully on the side of the street with houses still standing. She walked up to house 412 and saw that the windows, though boarded up, had slight cracks where she could see the floral pattern of a curtain.

"Maybe it's just the outside that looks bad" she mumbled before giving a good knock, her chest heaving to try and relax and let a natural smile come across her face.

At first, she heard nothing, which almost sunk her heart completely, but after a few moments she heard rustling and the shabby door opened up only a small measure as eye appeared through the crack.

"Oh my god..." she heard a woman say as the door slammed shut and a voice shout for Rick.

Rose forgot to pull her hair back as she quickly pulled a hair tie out and pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail before the door opened and a very tall and lanky man stared down at her.

"She wasn't kidding" she heard him whisper as she stared up at the man that could possibly be her father.

"Hello" she started but felt her jaw quiver a bit "My name is Rose."

"I know exactly who you are" he said.

"You do?" she asked as her eyes grew wide.

"Of course" he said shaking his head sadly "You look just like her. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything. Go out to the field" he said pointing to the other side of the street "You'll find what you are looking for there."

Rose turned towards the direction he was pointing before the slam of the door behind her made her jump and stumble back.

"Hello?" she said coming towards the door "What do you mean? Are you Rick Quackenbush!? Hello?!"

No answer, not even the rustle of someone moving inside.

"Answer me!" Rose yelled "I at least deserve some answers!"

Silence.

Rose kicked at the door in frustration as Hannibal wiggled in her grasp. She let him slip down to the ground as her hand quickly wiped away the tears that were starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

"The field" she grumbled, hopelessly confused and angry at the ludicrous of it all.

Hannibal meowed at her, drawing her attention down to her little friend who seemed concerned for her.

"What do you want me to do?" she said "Break down the door?"

If a cat could roll it's eyes, Hannibal had just done so as he began walking in the direction the supposed Rick Quackenbush had pointed at.

"No way" Rose said "I'm not following you out there. These people need to give me something else to go on besides walking out into some field."

Hannibal meowed loudly, an annoyed tone clear as day as he kept walking.

Rose sat for a minute on the ground before sighing loudly, unhappy that she was actually following a three legged cat out into a field after her potential father had slammed the door in her face. It didn't make sense, it never did. Nothing ever came normal to Rose unfortunately.

She walked past the torn down houses, her feet following Hannibal steadily over the rubble of the foundations and wood. Why _not_ just follow the cat? What else was there to look forward to?

"Made it to Chickentown" she said tiredly "Found Quincy Street. Probably found Rick Quackenbush. And for what? To get rejected and then follow a _cat_ into a field. Perfect."

Hannibal only grumbled, annoyed yet again by her whining. She didn't care, she deserved a little complaint after all this time.

"Hannibal where are we going?" she said after they had made it far away from Quincy Street and were waist deep into a golden field. She was having trouble following the kitten through all the grass, the only indication being the parting of the field as he hopped along in front of her.

Then, like a place for a ceremony, the field flattened into an almost perfect circle. It reminded Rose of those crop circles she would see on the sci fi channel they would show late at night, only this didn't have any undertones of alien life, but more of a natural, earth made platform.

In the middle of the circle though, was a copper bowl, with a small ball inside of it. Hannibal eagerly walked up to it and began mewing just as he had done when he wanted Rose to pick him up.

"What is this?" Rose said confused but also humbled for some reason.

Hannibal looked at her and then at the ball in the bowl two or three times to get the hint across.

"You want me to take the ball?" Rose said hesitantly, admiring how smart the kitten was.

A meow confirmed her question as she reached down and picked up the ball which was also made of some kind of metal. She twisted it around in her palm, noticing the coppery shimmer it gave off despite probably being out in the middle of this field for who knows how long.

"Now what?" Rose said staring down at the cat, feeling crazy that she was actually in this situation in the first place.

Hannibal walked a little farther back from where Rose stood and gave her the same glare he had when walking into the field. Rose followed him almost in a trance, not believing any of this and sure that the door had actually slammed against her head rather than the frame of that shabby house.

"Okay Hannibal" she said turning towards the bowl "This is now the official strangest thing that has happened to me."

Hannibal seemed to shrug before jumping gingerly on the back of her backpack.

Rose stood, waiting for some sign, but Hannibal just seemed to be staring ahead, as if waiting for something to come.

"This is ridiculous" Rose shook her head "Nothing is here! No answers, nothing! Just some weird bowl in the middle of a field and a weird cat that somehow knew _exactly_ where it was. I've officially lost it! This is crazy and I'm not doing this" she huffed as she tossed the ball towards the bowl before turning away to go demand answers from Rick Quackenbush.

The ring of the ball spinning along the edge of the bowl was all Rose heard for a moment before the wind seemed to hurl against her backside, making her turn surprised as she heard the sound of rushing water moving fast somewhere around her. Her hair whipped back behind her, her ponytail falling out from the shear force of the sudden wind. Her eyes squinted a bit from the air as she could hear the noise getting louder.

There was a charge in the air, something fuzzy and cold that made Rose's fingertips numb as she frantically tried to hear where the sound was coming from.

Hannibal's eyes though, where still looking in the same direction they had been. Rose looked behind at the cat and then to the direction he was looking when suddenly a audible gasp escaped her lips against the wind.

There, coming in rolls and waves, was a sea as blue as the bluest sky, it's sea foam cascading across the field as it came closer and closer to Rose and Hannibal.

"Wait!" Rose said quickly "We need to get to higher ground or something!" but the thought came too late as the water surged forward around Rose's waist.

"Wait! **Wait!** " she said to no one in particular as the sea began surging backwards, dragging Rose along with it. She tried to grab at something, anything, but the tide was too strong and soon she was rolling away on the waves, further and further away from Chickentown. She closed her eyes, trying not to swallow the sea water as waves crashed next to her. She felt her body begin to panic, she had no life vest, no boat, and where was this all coming from anyway?!

She tried to keep her body calm, trying not to fight the water that was hurdling her forward, the rush of the air and the smell of salt filling her senses as her head spun in circles for what seemed like hours. Soon though, the water stopped rushing her forward, and had eased into a lavish wave that seemed to just rock her forward at it's leisure. The wind that had been rushing past her ears was now calm, the sound nearly silent compared to the gusts she had heard before. Her body bobbed peacefully, her lungs trying to fill up her panicked lungs with air as she was rocked by the water until her heart beat slowed.

It was only when she opened her eyes that she felt something different, something that began filling up her chest as she looked around at her surroundings. Yes, she was still in a ocean of some sort, but the air and the sky was different than anywhere she had been before, the clouds a different band of colors that usually filtered through them when she had stared up at them so many times before...

She was somewhere completely...new.


	4. Chapter 3: Sea Skippers and Stories

"What is this-" Rose began before she heard sputtering and the splash of water at the back of her head. She whipped around before seeing Hannibal gasping and pawing at the water.

"Oh god!" she quickly yelled and scooped the struggling kitten up in her arms. Hannibal took a few moments to breathe over Rose's shoulder before pulling himself up and sitting on top of her head.

"Hannibal!" Rose yelled as she tread water "That's not exactly the ideal place for you to be right now!"

"Well it may be for you, but I have to get us out of the ocean" the kitten suddenly said which made Rose stop and bob in the water for a minute to be sure she had heard correctly.

"W-what did-d you just say?" Rose chattered.

"I would just concentrate on keeping your head above water" the kitten said in a eerily calm voice. The cat's voice sounded strangely between a child's voice and a young man as Rose was sure she was hearing the cat above her speak.

"You can talk?" Rose said trying to look up at the kitten.

"In this world" the kitten said "Now shhhh, I'm trying to flag us a ride."

Rose swiveled around in the water looking for whatever Hannibal was referring to when she suddenly saw a couple small figures in the distance making their way towards Rose and Hannibal quickly.

"Who are they?" Rose got out, slightly in shock from the cold ocean water and the talking cat on her head.

"Hopefully our ticket out of here" the kitten said before yowling loudly towards the figures that were now close enough for Rose to make out.

She could tell they were sort of human, at least body wise, but their heads resembled sea-horses and they all sported long fins on top of their heads while the feet and hands were also webbed. They were moving along the water as if it was a ice rink, their webbed feet gliding and swirling around the ocean majestically.

"Hey oh!" one of them called out "Looks like a couple of bobbers!"

"All the way out here now?" the other said.

"Cha! I don't lie Beuo Beuo! Look!" the first said pointing towards Rose and Hannibal.

"A'zo! Your right!" the second exclaimed as they both skipped over to Rose who was growing weak from trying to float for so long.

"Whatcha two doin out all the way near the Empire islands?" the first said looking down at the two.

"Just trying to get away from them" Hannibal spoke up as Rose scrambled to make her mind catch up to the insane moment she was in.

"Ahhh we know that feeling" Beuo Beuo said "How about we give ya a ride to the Frees? Tazmagor only a few skips away if you can hold on long enough."

"Tazmagor would be wonderful thank you" Hannibal said leaping on Beuo Beuo's shoulders before looking back at Rose "Are you coming?"

"Uhm yes" Rose said a little hesitantly as she swam over to the first sea skipper who dipped down into the water low enough for her to wrap her arms around it's neck.

"Don't worry my lady" the first one said "My name it Teox Teox. I won't let ya down into the water unless you want to be back with Mama Izabella."

"Okay.." Rose murmured before Teox Teox bobbed up and above the water once again.

"To Tazmagor we go!" Beuo Beuo said in a slight laugh before they began skipping and hopping quickly against the water. Rose held on to the surprisingly soft skin of Teox Teox as she watched the ocean quickly pass under them almost as if they were flying. She had so many questions right now, hell, she could fill an entire book of them, but for now she decided that whatever fever dream she was having she should just go along with it and try to understand later. For now, she would hold on to the fish person and wait until her talking cat decided to explain.

As Rose looked above however, she could see the sky lightening, and realized that they had actually been in night time waters not moments before. How suddenly it was becoming daylight though, was beyond her reach right now as the once indigo sky was now a baby blue with big white fluffy clouds now scattering around the air.

"Wow" Rose heard herself softly exclaim.

"Qualm Hah is one of the last free ports thankfully!" Teox Teox said hearing her.

"Free?" Rose questioned.

"Aye! The Empire and the Hag have taken over most of the ports. And they outlawed our kind at every one. My tribe won't dare go near anywhere except Tazmagor now" Teox Teox said a little sadly.

"Who's the Empire?" Rose asked.

"Cha! You not from here?! Hey cat where you find my lady?" Teox Teox said looking over at Hannibal who had clawed into Beuo Beuo's backside unfortunately.

But before the cat could answer Rose spotted what looked to be a bustling marina, with ships of every shape size and color surrounding a city that was up against the island side.

"Tazmagor ho!" Beuo Beuo said happily as he skipped even farther ahead than Rose and Teox Teox.

Rose held on as the sea-skipper tried to catch up to his friend before they both crashed and splashed against one of the many docks that protruded from the island bank.

"Ha! You still skip like a sea slug!" Beuo Beuo laughed.

"Only because you had less weight to carry!" the other replied before kicking himself as he looked at Rose "Apologies my lady, you are the fairest creature I have ever laid eyes on."

Rose blushed and giggled before Hannibal came to her side as he looked the two sea-skippers up and down.

"You have our thanks friends" Hannibal said again in that eerily human voice.

"Our pleasure! Anything for the citizens of the islands of the Free" Teox Teox said with a clumsy bow.

"Come on Rose, we have to get into the city" Hannibal said walking away towards the other side of the dock.

"Goodbye!" Rose waved at them "Nice meeting you Teox Teox! Thanks again!

As Rose turned away she could hear the sea-skippers behind her giggling as Teox Teox jested "You heard that? The princess said goodbye to me!" while Beuo Beuo play slapped him with "No! She said goodbye to both of us you sea slug!" Rose laughed a little to herself, as the two reminded her of the children back at Summerside's arguing for Rose's attention when they were little.

But remembering her situation at hand she caught up to her kitten who was moving mighty fast for only having three legs.

"Hey Hannibal wait!" Rose said as the kitten looked glad to take a small break as he looked up at her.

"Okay what's going on" Rose said looking down at him with her hands on her hips "This is pretty ate up right now and before I start pinching myself to make sure it's real I'd like a little information on what the hell just happened back there."

Hannibal looked a little puzzled before he understood what she meant "Oh the sea-skippers? Their people live deep in the ocean but they like to take strolls on the surface every now and then, we were lucky to catch them."

"Okay cool" Rose said "But where the hell is here? Where did the ocean take me?"

"The Izabella" Hannibal corrected her "And she takes whoever she needs to take to the Abarat."

"The..Abarat?" Rose said feeling something deep within her chest slightly stir.

"Yes, that's this world" he said nodding "Where we were was the Hereafter. The sea took me there to find someone, and since you were the first person I found, I assumed it was you, so I took you back here with me."

"But why me?" Rose said shaking her head.

"I don't know" Hannibal said shrugging "Can you give me a minute to change? It starts to hurt after being this small."

Rose nodded a bit confused when she suddenly watched her tiny kitten morph into a half human, half cat looking creature who now stood a little above her hip on his hind legs. He was covered entirely still in fur thankfully, and his head was definitely still a cat, but his eyes which now were more rounded out made him look very much human besides his outward appearance.

"That's better" he said stretching as she watched his paws/hands reach up high "When you are small like that you begin to forget how to walk properly."

He looked over at Rose who stood awestruck with her mouth hanging open at the child sized cat person in front of her.

"Oh" he said looking down at himself "I'm sure this is weird for you."

Rose could only nod as she kept staring "What uh- what are.."

"What am I?" he said gesturing to himself "Why I'm a Tarrie Cat."

"A Tarrie Cat?" Rose said "Are you...human?"

Hannibal laughed a bit "No! Oh no, we aren't human, most of us are just cats that look like my smaller self, they just have a better understanding of things, but I come from a long line of bigger Tarrie Cats, so we walk and talk just like people."

"Oh" Rose said quietly "Okay."

"You wouldn't happen to have any clothes you could lend me? I like to blend in a little bit with the crowd" he said looking down at himself.

"Oh!" Rose said forgetting about her backpack "Sure! Although I think some of it might be wet."

"No worries" Hannibal said "It's breezy, the cloth will dry fast."

Rose bent down and opened up her bag as she tried to sort through her things that she had originally brought along to sustain her for the trip to Chickentown, but now that she was...well..was in a whole new world, she hoped that she would have somewhere at least to wash her clothes.

She found some of her money that she had brought along and pulled it out to let it air dry some. Hannibal looked down at the money and made a happy sound from inside his throat.

"Oh wow! I forgot you would have Hereafter money! Maybe we could buy new clothes instead of using your wet ones?" he said looked down excitedly at the foreign money.

"Really?" Rose said looking at the handful of twenties and tens "How much is Hereafter money worth in the Abarat?"

"Well" Hannibal said squatting down and looked closely at the paper "Last time I saw anything like this it had a five one the paper, and that bought nearly a whole season's worth of stuff."

"A whole season?" Rose said astonished.

"Yep! I bet with the ten number we could live like king pigs" he said giggling a little to himself which thankfully sounded more cat like than human.

"Well why don't we do that" Rose said dumping out her wet clothes "Because most of my stuff is ruined anyhow from the water."

"Alright!" Hannibal exclaimed "I never get new things!" when suddenly he really reminded Rose of a child when he stopped himself and looked doefully up at Rose "That is, if you will pay for it. You _don't_ have to..."

"Oh stop" Rose said with a smile "I'll get you something to wear."

"Thank you!" he said coming up and hugging around her waist.

Rose smiled and hugged the cat boy back as they started their way now into the port of Tazmagor. All around them Rose saw people of all shapes and sizes, that although looked slightly human, were just a tad off in some strange way. She must have looked like a total outsider to them since whatever streets they went down people would stop and stare at her and Hannibal.

"Hey I have a question" she said to Hannibal.

"Sure shoot! We are almost near the merchant marketplace anyway" he said walking steadily.

"How did I know your name was Hannibal anyway? Are you also some kind of psychic?" she said striding up beside him.

"Actually I didn't have a name until you gave me one" he said smiling up at her.

"Really?" Rose said surprised.

"Yes, with Tarrie Cats, we don't really call ourselves anything except for brother or sister, mother or father. The only ones who have names are the ones that have been given one" he said almost proudly "So when you named me Hannibal, that became my name. Which is a great honor!"

"Well uh... your welcome?" Rose said with a sideways smile. She was really beginning to like the little cat boy who seemed excited over nearly everything, his sharp pointed finger identifying objects and explaining them to Rose as they walked towards the merchants market.

She learned very briefly from Hannibal on what exactly the Abarat was. She was told about how the islands where different hours, and how thats why it seemed like the sun never moved on the island they were currently on. He also explained the differences of the Night and Day Islands.

"The Night Islands are a part of the Empire" he had said while eyeing some steamed fish heads from a kiosk nearby "There's only two islands of the Night that aren't a part of the Empire, but I doubt Mater Motley cares much now. Her eye is now looking towards the Day Islands, which three have already fallen."

"What's wrong with the Empire?" Rose had asked while purchasing said fish heads for Hannibal to nibble on while they walked.

Hannibal simply shook his head "Motley wants slaves. She doesn't care about anything except ruling the islands. Any Night Island that's under her control is basically a slave island. All they do is build and build to the Hag's beckon. I don't know what though, my father won't tell me much about it since we ran away from Ninnyhammer."

"That's your island?" Rose said feeling her heart hurt from Hannibal's confession.

"Mmmhmm" he said while swallowing the fish head "We had to run away to Autland. Many of my people died. Motley has no love for Tarrie Cats. She says we are too defiant for our own good, but my father is part of the Free Islands Council right now."

"I'm sorry" Rose said feeling bad, knowing she would hate to leave a home if she ever really had one.

"A lot of people from the Night Islands ran away to the Day" Hannibal said as his voice grew sad "The Day people hate us, they think we bring nothing but bad luck to their islands, even though Mater Motley wants them just as much as she wants the Night Islands. We are all in the same boat, but the Day people don't see it that way."

"Mater Motley sounds like a witch to me" Rose said feeling anger for her friend.

"She's the biggest one in the Abarat" Hannibal said with a shake of his head "We are almost at the market though! I hope I can get some new pants!"

Rose smiled as Hannibal's furry hand took hers as they walked on, Hannibal glad he had Rose, and her glad she had him as well.


	5. Chapter 4: The King of Rot

While in the busy alleyway of the merchants market, Rose saw every bit of different colored cloth she could think of, and some she had never even seen. Stands would be selling everything from shirts and pants to dazzling jewelry and things she didn't even know people could wear. Hannibal was as giddy as a child, his small body nearly bouncing from stand to stand as he showed Rose all the different materials and how rare or common they were for the Island of Qualm Hah.

She purchased some nice blue pants with small white bursts for Hannibal, along with a matching short sleeve button up and a white undershirt which made his orange fur stand out beautifully. Rose on the other hand was flattered by merchants all around as they realized she had a very rich currency in her possession and offered her fine silks and dresses probably made for royalty if she were so inclined. Instead she opted for some orchid harem pants that Hannibal said would be great for the different temperatures of the Islands, and a maroon crop top that showed off her curves nicely, along with some nice shiny gold flats that were incredibly comfortable. At first she was worried she was showing too much of herself off, but looking around at the people in the marketplace she actually looked like she fit in here now as everyone dressed pretty much the same. She still felt a little out of place because of her eyes, but the colored contacts had thankfully been untouched as the deep dark brown covered no doubt the every changing kaleidoscope of her iris's. The people dressed in a mix of what seemed like islander, middle eastern, and African fashion, with bold patterns and sheer fabrics that made Rose wish she could wear them all the time.

"Are you hungry Rose?" Hannibal finally said after they had completed their shopping for clothes.

"A little" Rose said looking around still "This is all still so new to me, I feel like I haven't even seen everything although I'm sure we've been here for a while."

Hannibal smiled up at her "Everyone feels that way, Tazmagor is a huge city, this is only one of the many merchant marketplaces, but my father said it's the best one. Let's go get some Necky Bread, it's some of the best bakery's around!"

Rose laughed and agreed as she followed Hannibal down a few more alleyways, passing people who would simply stop and stare at her and the cat boy as they passed through.

"Hannibal why is everyone looking at us?" Rose wondered "I mean, I'm not wearing my old clothes and you are fully dressed now, so why are they looking at us all weird?"

"It's probably because you look a lot like the mural" Hannibal said sniffing his new shirt and enjoying the soft fabric.

"What mural?" Rose said before Hannibal stopped and pointed up above them.

"That one" he said looking up as Rose did the same.

Up above them on a rather large looking cathedral like building, was a mosaic mural that shined brightly with the sun. Rose walked a little closer to it, her eyes mesmerized by all the colors . On the mural, was a woman, her hair dark and short while one hand was raised up and palm out, and the other gently placed along the woman's stomach. Behind her was depictions of tropical trees and a volcano with stars exploding against the dark sky. It was rather remarkable, not only because it was beautiful, but because the woman could have been Rose's twin. The round heart shaped face, the big almond eyes that sparkled against the light, even the straight nose that Rose had often wished was more cute and small was exactly the same.

"Who is she?" Rose softly asked Hannibal.

"She was the Queen of Day" Hannibal said looking at the mural as well "But she died a long time ago."

"And that's why people are looking at me?" Rose said a little awestruck.

"Yea, I mean when I saw you at first I thought it was strange, but kind of like in a good way" Hannibal said shrugging "My father said she was really well known and loved even in the farthest Night Islands."

"Hmmmm" Rose said a little surprised "Well I guess everyone has a doppelganger somewhere."

"Yea" Hannibal said nodding "Too bad Tarrie Cats basically look all alike, the only way my mother could tell me apart was because of my tail."

"Your tail?" Rose said confused until she realized that Hannibal did indeed not have a tail sticking out from his pants.

"It got cut off when I was little" he said shaking his rump "When I turn small I lose a leg so I can balance with a tail, but when I'm big, I switch from no tail so I can stand on two legs."

"You can control that?" Rose said amazed.

"My father bought a spell when I was real little so I could manage" he said with a shrug.

"Hannibal how old are you?" Rose said wanting to know now for certain.

"Hmmm" he said putting a fingered claw on his chin "I guess I would be around twelve in human years, but in Tarrie Cat years I'm only three."

"Wow" Rose said "So you are just kid?"

Hannibal's fur bushed out a little at the comment "I'm not a kid! Tarrie Cats are full grown after four years! I'm practically almost an adult!"

"Almost is the key word there" Rose said with a small smile which Hannibal growled at but succeeded after a minute of walking.

"I'm not a child" Hannibal grumbled as they spotted the bakery with Rose simply laughing.

"I know Hannibal I was just joking" she said as they came up to the window of the bakery.

Hannibal ordered three loaves of butter cinnamon bread and Rose asked for a few different scones with jellies she had never heard of, hoping that she would finally be able to taste a little different things the Abarat had to offer.

As the baker wrapped up the goods and gladly took Rose's money, nearly worshiping her as he thanked her for her generosity, when Rose suddenly heard a commotion down the street at one of the many food vendors cascaded down the road.

"Get out of here!" one of the cooks yelled "I don't serve to the likes of you! Now get before I call the Council guards!"

Rose leaned her head down to catch a glimpse of a man walking away from the food vendor, his long dark blue coat flapping away as he walked steadily from the cook who was still screaming obscenities at the man.

"What was that about?" she said looking down at Hannibal who had his arms full of freshly baked bread.

"Probably a Night refugee" Hannibal said with sadness in his voice "I told you not everyone is happy that we are here."

Rose looked down at her friend, a boy to her, even though he had cat ears and was covered in orange fur, but still a boy that had nearly cried when presented with new clothes and hot food that he had probably not had in months, maybe even years. And now down the street she had witnessed first hand the discrimination of someone who was simply trying to escape a place of hate and slavery. It didn't sit right in her chest, not one bit.

"Hannibal, give me one of your bread loafs" Rose said as her hand stood out demanding the bread. Hannibal looked at her warily before handing it over, and then taking two big bites out of his other loafs less she want those as well.

"Greedy little fur ball" Rose joked as they walked in the direction the man had gone. She didn't know how she would approach him, but knew that maybe her act of kindness would make his day a little better with him knowing not everyone felt the same as the cook.

She spotted the man going into a run down building as her and Hannibal turned a corner.

"Do you want to wait for me outside?" she asked Hannibal as she made her way to the wood door that seemed almost rotted from the humidity and heat of the sun.

"No I better go with you" Hannibal said "He may be a refugee but he's still from the Night Islands, and not all of them have very nice people."

"Alright" Rose said nodding "But I doubt he will do anything if I'm offering him food."

Hannibal only made a noise in his throat as Rose opened the door and walked into the building that smelt musty and cold even though the outside was warm.

She saw a set of stairs in the dusty hallway that led up where light footsteps sounded out on the wooden boards that made the ceiling.

"Please be careful Rose" Hannibal whispered "This place looks scary."

"Don't worry" Rose said with a smile as she walked towards the stairs "I won't let anything hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about" he whispered more to himself than to her.

Rose walked up the stairs, making sure her footsteps weren't too loud but not so quiet that the Night man would think she was sneaking up on him. She wanted to come off as gentle, especially after how harsh the cook had yelled at this man.

As she made her way up the stairs she saw the room above which only had a small streak of light shining through a window that had been covered up by a tattered piece of cloth. She could see the dust dancing in the air through the light as she walked up steadily, her hand firm on the loaf of bread while the other balanced against the stone wall to her side.

"Hello?" she called out gently "Is anyone here?"

No answer, but she could feel eyes upon her as the nape of her neck started to tingle with anticipation.

"Hello?" she questioned again as she made her way into the room, avoiding upturned boxes and random items along the floor boards "I saw you come in, are you here?"

Nothing again. Rose sighed and looked around, the rotted wood walls seeming like a box of hopelessness all by itself, the only light barely even illuminating the room as the quietness of the air was the total opposite from the hustle and bustle of the alleyways.

"Maybe we should just go" hissed Hannibal from the stairs when suddenly the wood creaked close to Rose as she whipped around towards the sound.

"Who are you?" a voice sounded out, not too harsh but more of a curious firmness towards Rose on why she was there in the first place.

"Are you the man that was yelled at just a minute ago in the marketplace?" Rose asked to the darkness, her voice as gentle as she could make it.

"That fool wouldn't serve me" the voice said with a slight sigh "But that doesn't answer my question. Who are you?"

Rose seemed a little taken aback by the voice, a young man's voice no doubt now that she heard a slight weakness to it.

"My, my name is Rose" she said trying to find her voice "I brought you something to eat."

"And why would someone like you do that?" the voice said as Rose suddenly heard movement in the darkness.

"Because it wasn't right what that cook did" Rose said now a bit more firmly "And everyone should have the right to food."

"Such brave words" the voice said now growing a bit closer "If only you knew who you were speaking them to."

"Roooosee" Hannibal pleaded from the stairs "Please lets just go."

"And who would that be" Rose said with her chin up, ignoring Hannibal's whines from the stairs "That seems a bit rude to someone who is only trying to be nice."

"You would run away in fear if you were to even look at me" the voice said with a sad chuckle.

"I can be the judge of that thank you" Rose said feeling her courage escalate even though she had no idea who this person really even was, but she had never been one to back down from a challenge.

"Very well" the voice said "Step into the light brave girl."

Rose did just that, her face feeling the heat of the light as she stood ready for anything with the bread in her hand tightly.

She heard movement and then a figure appeared, moving slowly as the light cascaded on a young man's face, his ice blue eyes the first thing Rose saw before inhaling fast as she saw his full face now in the light.

It was...him.

The young man, the young man from her portrait, the one she had painted right before going off on this crazy and fantastic journey. The young man from her dreams...

"Well?" he said looking at her.

Rose simply shook her head softly, as if she didn't understand how he was actually real and right in front of her. He was so handsome, just like how she had dreamed him, with those high cheekbones that could cut glass, and his full lips that only movie stars seem to have from how perfect they fit his face. His hair was short and tapered to where the sides were shaved very close to the scalp, while a array of waves cascaded on the top of his head in a fashionable pompadour. He looked at her with those ice blues staring at her expectantly. Instead of answering, she held out the bread to him, her eyes looking straight into his.

"Well" he said "I can't say that this has ever happened before."

"Don't be so sure of people" she answered with a strong voice, thankful it hadn't broken from the surprise of his face.

"People I am sure of" he said taking the bread gently "But you..."

"Rose can we please go?" Hannibal spoke up "You gave him the bread now let's go."

The young man looked towards the stairs with a solid stare "Your traveling with a Tarrie Cat?"

As Hannibal looked at the man Rose could swear she heard a hiss as her friend ducked down, his eyes slanted and poised right at the young man, his fur standing straight up from the top of his head.

"Hannibal what's the matter with you?" Rose said concerned.

"I told you that you would not be happy to see who you were speaking to" the young man said looking down now at the bread.

"You still haven't even told me" Rose said putting her hands on her hips.

This made the young man stare at her, almost wide eyed in confusion at her statement.

"I'm Christopher Carrion" he said.

 **A/N- I have always imagined a Christopher Carrion that didn't go through all the torture that his grandmother put him through would look like Cillian Murphy. He has the right facial features and voice to be the Prince of Night.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Princess

"Christopher Carrion!" Hannibal hissed "I knew it! Rose we need to go now!"

"Christopher Carrion?" Rose said a little confused at the reaction Hannibal was having.

Carrion looked at this young girl with almost wonder as she stood looking back and forth from him to the Tarrie Cat. How was she not running down the stairs with the creature in terror of him? Wasn't he still known as the Lord of Midnight? Prince of Night? Wasn't he one of the most feared people in the Abarat still? And this girl was simply just standing in front of him with no clue nor did she really even seem to care?

It was funny that he could still be surprised after all this time.

He had known that she was different the moment he had heard her footsteps up the stairs. Not loud or boasting, but calm, collected, like a trained assassin which he had originally thought she was. But then, when she had stepped into the light...

He had felt his breath catch in his throat. Her face, the face that had haunted him for nearly twenty years now, was staring at the darkness exactly where he had been standing. Granted this girl, whoever she was, of course was a likeness to the queen, but the blonde cream colored waves that surrounded her face and the dark brown eyes had proven that she was indeed not the Queen. But still, it had thrown Christopher completely off at first.

But now staring at her, he tried to study her features even more, but sadly it had been so long since he had seen Candy aside from the mural in the city, it was hard to tell if this girl truly looked like her, or if his imagination was playing tricks on him again like it had done many times before.

He shook himself back to the present as the girl and Tarrie cat were arguing on why exactly they should leave when he spotted a flash of gold in the light from the window.

"What is that?" he asked suddenly at the pendant hanging from the girls neck.

"This?" she said pointing down to it "It's my necklace. I've had it since I was born."

"May I see it?" Christopher asked holding out his palm.

"Don't give it to him!" Hannibal cried out "He's a sorcerer! He'll bewitch you and steal your soul!"

Rose simply stared at her friend before rolling her eyes "I doubt he can do that from just looking at my necklace. Besides" she said turned to him "I can't take it off. Never could, still can't. See?" she said demonstrating as she tried to remove the necklace that seemed to tighten around her head the moment she tried to slip it off.

 _"Enchanted"_ Christopher thought to himself _"Only someone with strong magic could make a spell like that last for so long..."_

But it was the flash of the stone that suddenly made Christopher's gut jump at the sight of it. The colors, the swirl and mix of them that sparkled and glimmered in the light, that stone could only be one thing...

"Where did you get that?" he said looking up at her.

"I told you" she said "I've had it since I was born."

"But who are your parents?" Christopher asked suddenly getting excited.

Rose backed away from Christopher only a smidge as her hand clasped around the stone.

"I don't know them" Rose said shaking her head "I'm an orphan. I was...or I still am looking for them."

"She's from the Hereafter Carrion!" Hannibal yowled at him "She's not yours to take!"

"The Hereafter.." Christopher said before hearing what seemed like a thousand sirens going off outside the building.

"What's that?!" Rose said as her hands flew up to her ears.

"The Council guards!" Hannibal said running towards Rose "They must have spotted Carrion."

"What?!" Rose said not hearing Hannibal clearly before Christopher walked towards the window and slightly moved the tattered cloth. Guards were filing in piles outside the door, but he knew there was no way that they were after him. No, they were after the girl.

He made a decision, probably a bad one, but he couldn't do anything about it right at the moment as he grabbed Rose's arm and moved her towards the window.

"You two are coming with me" he said as the noise of the sirens came down.

"What? Wait! I don't even know you!" Rose said trying to get out of his grasp.

Christopher sighed and pulled her deathly close to his face so that her eyes were looking right into his.

"You want answers about your parents? I have them. But you have to come with me right now" he said almost growling.

"Rose!" Hannibal hissed at Carrion's hold on her arm but Rose only stared into Christopher's eyes with steady determination.

"Fine" she said before grabbing Hannibal around the waist much to his disapproval before Christopher led her out the window on to the terrace of the building.

"Put me down Rose! I can run you know!" Hannibal yelled as he struggled in Rose's arms.

"I would suggest your friend use his feral spell to make our escape a little easier" Christopher said as they ran toward the edge of the building.

"Hannibal go small again!" Rose yelled as Hannibal groaned and shrunk to his normal cat size. Rose caught his clothes in the air as she held onto her friend for dear life. The trio ran and jumped in the air to the roof of the next building, Carrion sprinting ahead while his eyes darted back and forth looking for any signs of the enemy while Rose just followed blindly, not knowing where this strange man would lead her, but the moment he had mentioned her parents, she would follow him to the ends of the earth if it meant answers.

"We have a big jump coming ahead take my hand!" Carrion yelled back at Rose as he held out his open palm to her. Rose took it without hesitation as they leaped off the building and landed hard on the next.

"How far are we going to have to run to lose them?" Rose said through a gasp, her body not used to running this far for this amount of time.

"We have to make it to the edge of the city, they won't follow us past the city limit" Carrion said still pulling Rose along with him. Her arm strained against his grasp as he yanked her sideways and forwards around several towers of the city skyline.

Carrion looked down to the city streets when they reached the edge of the building. The city was in a frenzy, guards ordering people out of the way while they flooded the area looking for the trio who was high above them. There would be no way to get down without being seen...

"I have an idea, but I think you will not agree to it if you know it" Carrion said turning to Rose who was glad to have a moment to catch her breath.

"Just get us out of here" she said nodding to him.

"We need to jump over this building and then cross over to that one with the high tower" he said pointing to the building that was stark white against the beige and red buildings surrounding it.

"Okay" Rose said before Carrion could grab her hand once more as she took off across the building and landed with a thud on the other side. Carrion's eyebrows shot up as Rose looked back at him with an expectant stare. He couldn't help feeling that he had seen that stare before numerous times from a very irritating young woman...

"Are you coming or just gunna wait until they find you up there?" Rose yelled as Hannibal yowled loudly to get his attention.

He swiftly jumped across the roof and landed on the next before grabbing Rose's wrist and moving her quickly along a slim arch that connected the buildings to the marketplace below. Suddenly they heard shouts as the people started pointing and yelling at the trio, alerting the guards to their presence.

"We need to move fast now" Carrion said as he dragged Rose across the arch so fast she almost thought her feet weren't touching the ground.

They made it to the white building as Carrion hoisted Rose up alongside him to the top of the tower. Rose looked down as the wind whipped around her hair, her hand shaking as she gripped herself against Carrion. She had always climbed things when she was younger, but never before had she been this high up. It left a new fear in her belly as she tried to steady herself by looking over at Carrion.

"What do we do now?" she asked against the wind.

"We wait for the signal" Carrion said as his eyes stared up. Rose suddenly realized how very blue they were, like frozen ice that pierced against the deep blue of the sky.

Her thoughts were shaken from her suddenly as a shadow passed over them so quickly she had to blink to make sure she had seen it.

"There it is, now hold on" Carrion said as he grabbed Rose around the waist and pressed her to him hard. The sensation by itself made Rose gasp, but the small smirk that had escaped Carrion's lips made her heart beat even faster.

Then like lighting Carrion flashed a sword in the air and snapped a cord that was tying the tower and a nearby building together. His hand caught the cord and Rose suddenly realized what they were about to do.

"Wait! Wait!" Rose said wrapping her arms around Carrion's neck in pure terror as he dove them off the tower and swinging into the air.

Rose probably screamed, but she only realized any sound had come from her mouth when it intensified at the great shadow that popped up from nowhere and swooped down upon them, enveloping them in darkness before careening them this way and that.

Rose squeezed her eyes shut and refused to let go of Carrion as she felt her body sway right and left before settling in a slow rhythm of up and down, much like how she felt as a child when they had taken the orphanage to the fair and she had ridden on the carousel.

"You can let go now if you would like" she heard Carrion's voice say calmly as Rose unscrewed her eyes to find herself being held in a scaly claw while her body sat stiff in Carrion's lap. She felt herself blush as she relaxed a bit and looked over at Carrion's face whose neck was still being clasped tightly by her arms.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she said releasing him from her grasp which seemed to make him smile.

"It's quite alright" he said still smirking as his hand lay gently against the beasts leg that was attached to the claw.

Rose looked up and saw a dark belly, with ebony scales that seem to glisten in the light as two rapid wings bellowed out against the air currents. It was only when she spotted the head of the beast that she knew exactly what she was looking at.

"You have a dragon!?" Rose exclaimed in excitement.

Carrion looked over at her in surprise once again, knowing that most people of the Abarat feared dragons, the legends of them never really dying since one had disposed of the beloved Princess Boa thanks to himself, but from what Christopher Carrion had learned, they were mostly solitaire creatures much like himself, but this one that they were now riding had bonded with him in such a way that one might even call the dragon a pet of some sort.

"What's his name?" Rose said now totally interested in the dragon and not the fact that they were dangling in it's claws high up in the air over the vast sea of the Izabella.

"Longwei" Christopher answered amused that Rose was now staring admirably at something that most would fear.

"He's beautiful!" Rose said happily, her mind so thrilled at seeing something she had only read about in books of far away places that _couldn't_ really exist in real life. But then again, she was in a far away place that _shouldn't_ exist in real life, so really, what did she know? She was just amazed to be riding a actual dragon!

Carrion watched this girl, her hair flying back as her wide eyes stared up in wonder at Longwei and he felt something stir inside himself. Could she really be who he thought she was? But the eyes, those brown eyes were all he needed to confirm that she couldn't be who he thought. No, those eyes that he was supposed to seek were not like any other...

"So where are we going?" Hannibal finally said as he emerged from the backpack Rose still had strapped to her back.

"Orlando's Cap" Carrion said as his tone became stoic towards the Tarrie Cat.

"Orlando's Cap!? What about the crazies?" Hannibal exclaimed.

"Crazies?" Rose asked confused.

"Orlando's Cap is full of crazy people that run a muck all over the island! Not even the Hag wants to touch that island" Hannibal said in a very know it all tone.

"Being mentally ill doesn't make them bad people" Carrion said disgruntled "And the fact that the Council and the Hag won't touch the island makes it the perfect place to stay low for a while."

Hannibal humphed knowing that the sorcerer was right as he settled back into Rose's backpack, grumbling to himself that this was **not** part of his mission.

As they came towards the island, Longwei began descending down towards the ocean, his claw skimming waves that reached out to touch them as water splashed across Rose's face making her sputter but smile.

The island sat at 2:00 pm, which made the sun seem much brighter then on Qualm Hah. It was a smaller island too, with only a few buildings surround a very large one on top of a hill. But as they dawned closer with Longwei slowing the beat of his wings, Rose realized that strange sculptures scattered all over the edge of the island.

"Wow" Rose breathed out as the dragon descended down on the beach of Orlando's Cap, her legs shaky as they stumbled on the soft beige sand.

Rose realized her eyes were burning now from the salt of the sea that had splashed in her face as her eyes rubbed hard against them. Suddenly her contacts, the ones she had worn almost her entire life, popped out in her hands.

"Well I guess I don't need these anymore" Rose said more to herself.

"What was that?" Carrion said turning to her as he was checking Longwei up and down.

"Oh these things" Rose said showing him her contacts "I guess the salt irritated them and they fell out. I don't need them anyway, I can see fine."

Her words though fell on deaf ears as she looked at Carrion who had frozen on the spot when his eyes found hers.

"No..." he breathed "No it can't be..."

Rose's hands went to her face instinctively, her face forming a blush when she realized that he was staring at her unusual eyes. Maybe it had been a mistake to take them out? She figured this world with all of it's fantastic things would hardly think that eyes like hers were any different than anyone elses, but maybe she had been wrong...

"I'm sorry" she said almost hiding them "I didn't know they would freak you out. Maybe I can get the contacts back in..."

Suddenly her wrist was caught in Christopher's hand, his movements so quick she barely had time to register before he was inches away from her.

"What's wrong?" Rose said embarrassed at being this close to a man she barely knew.

"Your eyes" he said.

"I know" she said looking away from him "But I can't do anything about them except cover them up."

Christopher stared at this girl, this girl who he knew now exactly who she was and where she had come from. All his suspicions, all his unusual feelings towards her were now confirmed as he stared at the one and only daughter of the Queen of Day. Her eyes, those that hosted every color of the Abarat, swirled as they looked up at him once again, the shades of bright green and yellow melting with concern and fear. She was here, at long last, the girl with the eyes of the Abarat...

"Christopher?" her voice sounded out against his thoughts as she stared up at him.

"You.." he said finally "You are her."

"Who?" Rose said clutching her necklace out of habit.

"The Princess" he breathed.


	7. Chapter 6:Preyer

"Princess?" Rose said confused "No I'm not a princess, I'm just Rose."

Hannibal popped out of the backpack and grew to his semi human form as he looked between Rose and Carrion who seemed to be in a staring contest. Only when Hannibal looked at Rose's eyes did he seem to join Carrion in a wide eyed stare.

"Would you two stop looking at me like that!" Rose shouted now severely uncomfortable.

"Wow, he's right" Hannibal said "You have to be the Princess! Your eyes! Isn't it in the legend Carrion?! You would know right?"

"Yes, it's in the legend" Carrion said his voice stoic with a hint of sadness.

"What legend!? What the hell are you two on about!?" Rose demanded "I want answers and I want them right now!" she said stepping towards Carrion "You said you had them, and I. Want. Them. Now." she said poking Carrion in the chest with each word.

Carrion, who had for some time in this moment had collected his emotions, but with the attitude Rose was presenting, he couldn't help but crack a small smirk at her demands.

"The legend is that when the Queen of Day passed away she left behind only a single heir to the throne! She would carry the power and the eyes of the Abarat and save us from the Hag. It's a legend that my father would tell us when we were very small, everyone in the Abarat knows it" Hannibal explained quickly "That must be why you look like her Rose! That's why everyone always stares at you."

Rose looked from the Tarrie Cat to Christopher Carrion, her mind confused and trying to wrap her head around something like this. She shook her head in disbelief, things like this didn't happen, did they?

"Is it true?" Rose said turning to Christopher.

"Of course it's true! Carrion was there when the Queen passed away after all!" Hannibal said matter of factly "People think that he was the one that killed her."

"I didn't kill the Queen you walking furball!" Christopher spat at Hannibal "All those moments wandering the islands with her and that Malingo you would think that people would know I wouldn't have harmed a hair on her head!"

"Christopher!" Rose said getting his attention back to her "Is it true? Am I the princess?"

Christopher Carrion looked at her, feeling his heart bounce between being weighted with the information she wanted and the high of knowing he was right.

"Yes" he said "Undoubtedly. You are her, Rose. I know because I have seen those eyes only once before, and it was the moment your mother sent you to the Hereafter."

Rose felt the air escape her lungs as her body began to shake for she knew that every word that Christopher had said to her was true. She knew it because they seemed to imprint themselves on her mind and heart.

"I think..." she said gulping down her stomach "I need to sit down."

"Rose!" Hannibal yelped as he ran to catch Rose who fell faint but Christopher was faster as he snatched her body in his arms, lowering her slowly to the sand.

"Be careful you villain!" Hannibal said.

"Don't call me that ever again" Christopher said steadily "I wouldn't harm her even if I wanted to."

Hannibal rested Rose's head in his lap as her eyes fluttered for a moment before opening wide, the color a illuminating yellow.

"Did I faint?" she asked looking around.

"Only for a moment" Carrion said standing beside her.

"So what do we do now?" Hannibal asked concerned for Rose.

"I think we should find refuge in the asylum" Christopher said "The princess can rest easy there until we contact Malingo."

"Who's Malingo?" Rose asked as Hannibal helped her up "And please don't call me princess quite yet."

"He's your godfather" Christopher said as he took Rose's arm and balanced her against his body as the three began walking up the hill towards the buildings "Now no more questions until you've rested."

Rose obeyed stubbornly before she looked back to the beach to see the black dragon sitting patiently as he stared at the trio.

"What about Longwei?" Rose said groggily.

"He will find a cave to rest in until I call him" Carrion said "Now no more questions princess."

"I said don't call me prin-" but Rose didn't finish before succumbing to her weakness and passing out in Carrion's arms.

Carrion smirked as he picked up Rose bridal style, making the journey easier on herself and the Tarrie Cat.

"So she really is the princess?" Hannibal said staring at Rose's sleeping form.

"Yes" Christopher replied.

"Wow, my father is going to flip when he finds out" Hannibal said excitedly.

"You won't tell your father until the time is right" Carrion warned "Just because she is the princess doesn't mean that everyone needs to know she has returned. Just by her being her puts Rose in much more danger than before."

"Do you mean the Hag?" Hannibal said now scared for Rose's well being.

"Yes, Mater Motley is still alive and will be looking for Rose. She will want her power that the Queen has left her so that she can finally achieve what she's always wanted" he said.

"And what is that? You would know, she's your grandmother" Hannibal said worried.

"Before yes I did" Christopher said warily "But now...now things have changed."

* * *

Deep past the black waters of Midnight, the lone tower of Gorgossuim looked out at the darkness of Midnight as a figure stood still against the pale moonlight. She despised the moon, despised it's light and the stars that followed it. She wanted it all black as the blackest night, where the dreadful Lady Moon was caste out by the clouds and the island was in it's most primal state.

Mater Motley was not a evil woman, she was much more than that. Her plans for the Abarat had been foiled time after time, but now as of late, she knew that they would finally be a reality. The first time, her grandson had fouled up her taking of the Islands, the second had been him and that damned girl, and the third had just been the Queen herself, that miserable excuse for a ruler. Motley's power had been at it's weakest then, the self sacrifice Candy Quackenbush had made was deemed pure and true, and had vanquished the powers given to Motley to blot out the light forever.

She sneered down below her, her old face hardened by the years as more and more slaves moved mud from the Todo mines and lumber that they had gathered from the various trees in the gallows forest. She would need to send another ship out to one of her islands in the Night dominion to retrieve more supplies if she was going to finally take the last remaining islands. She was so close...so very close...

"Empress" a voice sounded out in her private room. Nobody was allowed here except for one and only one person, Preyer Kry.

"Kry" Motley turned to him in what only could be described as a partial smile "You have news?"

"The Nephauree are patient, they know you are working to achieve what we all want" he said coming towards the Hag.

Motley stared at the man that was not once so handsome looking as he was now before her. When he was summoned and appeared before her, he looked like a human that's skin had been removed, all red muscle and pink ligaments, but his legs looked as if he were part slug, that pink mush of what she thought could be flesh slithering around and leaving a trail of blood wherever he pleased. His eyes had been dark pits and his teeth were bared and pointed. To Motley, he was terrifying and it pleased her greatly, but now having spent time in the Abarat, Kry had taken a form that would deceive those that did not know what kind of creature resided underneath the suit of skin he wore.

Now, Kry looked like a man of royalty, his hair long and tied back while his eyes pierced through all he came across. He was a perfect partner to Motley and indispensable in his cruelty.

"This is good news" Motley said now turning from Kry.

"That is not all" Kry said coming beside her as he looked out the window down below.

Motley waited patiently for Kry to continue, there was always something more when it came to the Nephauree.

"There's been a disturbance in Qualm Hah" Kry said evenly.

"What do I care about a disturbance in that island?" Motley tisked "It will soon be mine just like the others."

"You are too eager" Kry said shaking his head "The disturbance is one of great importance. A girl."

"What girl?" Motley said. She knew that a girl could do a lot. She herself had witnessed it.

"A girl that resembled the Queen" Kry said looking Motley now in the eyes "She was spotted with a Tarrie Cat. The Council tried to catch her but she fled on what some say was a great dragon."

"We have all the dragons" Motley said sneering "People love to exaggerate when they are paid attention to."

"My sources are to be trusted and least of all exaggerate when reporting to me" Kry said displeased with Motley's willingness to set this news aside.

"You said she was with a Tarrie Cat?" Motley said "Put some of the stichlings on guard on Ninnyhammer, if she is running with the mongrel he will surely return home to the rest of them. We can then question him about the girl. Until then I would remain cautious of chasing fickle tales of a girl."

"Very well" Kry said bowing even though he didn't need to. He himself knew he was more powerful than the Hag, but he needed her ruthlessness. The Nephauree counted on him to do what needed to be done.

Kry walked out of Motley's private rooms and descended down the tower stairs before pulling one of his servants to the side, a little white creature called Taunt.

"Have a troop of stitchlings go to Ninnyhammer" he ordered "Make sure they report back if a Tarrie Cat returns to the island, and send a Bat if it's with a girl."

Taunt nodded, his fleshy ears bouncing up and down before scurrying off into the darkness of the current level of the tower.

Kry smiled to himself, his power here was satisfying, the fear of the slaves fueling him and his ego. He had always been a servant to the Nephauree, always doing the dirty work, but finally he was on top here. Besides the Hag of course...

Oh yes, he had dreamed of pushing that old woman out a window and taking Midnight over for himself, hell even taking all of the Abarat for himself. He could make this place his kingdom, make it his and his alone, but that would mean closing the door to the Nephauree, and he himself did not possess all the power to do so.

If this girl was who those idiots said she was, then he knew the kind of power this girl would have. Maybe, just maybe his dreams were not that far away...

* * *

 **A/N- Ohhhh boy now we are really getting into the villains. Just to give some imagination fuel to you guys, I imagine Preyer Kry looking like Mads Mikkelson. His accent and face are so rememberable and not too hard on the eyes that I think he would play a brilliant Kry. Now I am just basing Kry off of what Clive Barker has hinted at through interviews, so if the book ever comes out and my version of Preyer Kry is not Barker's version I apologize. Next chapter will be back to our trio! Please review and enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 7: Flight to Fight

When Rose awoke she was greeted by the warm sun shining on her body and she dreamily thought this must be why cats lay in the sunlight. Thinking of cats, she remembered Hannibal, and the confrontation on the beach.

 _"I'm the Princess"_ she thought to herself as her eyes opened to the room around her _"I guess I got the answer I wanted...although, it just leaves me wondering what happens now?"_

Maybe it was still a dream, maybe she was still back in Chickentown and had fallen asleep in that field...

"Rose?" she heard Hannibal's voice call out as Rose groggily sat up and looked around. She was in a tan stone room, with a window opening up wide so that she could see the sea splashing against the beach. Strange sculptures littered the hillside and she remembered now where they had gone to before she had fell faint.

"Rose are you awake now?" Hannibal called out again.

"Yes" Rose said with a crack in her voice "I'm awake."

The Tarrie Cat didn't hesitate to open the door at her answer as he swung the wooden door open loudly that it shook the frame. Like a child he bounced towards her and landed on the straw bed with his clothes on that they had bought together.

"Lordy Lou" he said "I'm so glad your awake, for a moment I'd thought you had gotten sickly."

"I think I was just tired" Rose said with a smile "Lot of things happening all at once probably wore me out."

"That's true" Hannibal said nodding, his golden eyes shimmering against his orange fur.

"Where's Christopher?" Rose said as she got up to look out the window. She could see some people walking around the hillside, some with buckets full of who knows what, some seeming to dance as the glided through the grass.

"I don't know" Hannibal huffed "He went all brooding and sulked off somewhere after a bit."

"Why don't you like him?" Rose said with a smirk "He was the one that saved us at Tazmagor."

"Because he's a villain" Hannibal said as his fur stood up a bit "Everyone in the Abarat knows it."

"How so?" Rose said shaking her head. She knew Christopher Carrion couldn't be all that bad, if he was, why did he save her and Hannibal? And why take the time to take care of her when she fainted?

"Because Rose" Hannibal said shaking his head "He was the most powerful sorcerer in all the Abarat, he tortured people, killed them, and even enslaved some. He was the Prince of Midnight and everyone feared him. My father told me that even your mother was scared of him, he even chased her around the Abarat trying to kill her. He tried to destroy the Abarat even! That's why I don't like him and I don't trust him, not within a inch of my whiskers."

"Then did he say he wouldn't harm a hair on my mother's head?" Rose said skeptically.

Hannibal threw his hands up in exasperation "To lie of course! Nobody understood why Queen Candy took Carrion under her wings after she became Queen of Day but nobody put it past him when she died."

"My mother's name is Candy?" Rose said feeling her heart soar. All this time and she hadn't ever heard anyone say her actual name.

"Mmmhmm" Hannibal said happy that they were off the subject of Carrion "Candy Quackenbush, the girl from the Hereafter, Queen of the Day."

"Rick Quackenbush was the man that had given me away in the Hereafter" Rose said putting the pieces together.

"Must be her brother" Hannibal said "People knew her family came from the Hereafter, I'm not sure if any of them came to the Abarat or stayed there."

"Makes sense" Rose said nodding "Except how in the world did I end up in the Hereafter if I was born here?"

"Your mother sent you there" Carrion's voice said from the doorway as Rose and Hannibal jumped at the sound of him.

"Jesus! Put a bell around your neck or something!" Rose exclaimed.

Carrion smirked as he raised a dark eyebrow "Why would I do that? And who is Jesus?"

"Nevermind" Rose said shaking her head "What was that about my mother you said?"

"She sent you to the Hereafter" Carrion said stepping into the room "She thought you would be safer there until it was time for you to come back. She closed the doorway between our world and that one the day she sent you away."

"So how is it that it opened back up?" Rose asked curious "How did Hannibal end up in Chickentown to look for me?"

They both turned to the Tarrie Cat boy who looked sheepish at all the attention on him.

"Well my father sent me" Hannibal said shrugging with a small smile.

"And who would your father be?" Carrion said.

"Jimothy Tarrie" Hannibal said proudly "He sent me to the Hereafter with a spell he had received. He told me to look for a girl, and Rose just happened to be the first one I saw. So I thought it must be her."

"Where did he get the spell Hannibal" Rose said surprised that coincidence had brought her and the cat boy together.

"No clue" Hannibal said shrugging "But we can't ask him. He's still on Ninnyhammer with the others."

"Didn't you say Ninnyhammer was occupied by Motley's guards?" Rose said trying to remember correctly. It was all so much information, but she was bound to put it together.

"Ninnyhammer was the second island to fall under the Empress" Carrion said with disdain "I'm surprised the Tarrie Cats have lasted that long."

"Most of them are in Autland with King Solomon" Hannibal said a little sad "But my father couldn't leave until everyone was safe. He can't get the rest of my people out because the Hag shut down all ships from coming and going from Ninnyhammer."

"That's terrible" Rose said heartbroken for her friend.

"The guards hate Tarrie Cats" Hannibal said looking away "They snap our necks and eat our insides for fun..."

"We have to help them" Rose said turning to Carrion.

Carrion's head shook slowly "No, we can't go to Ninnyhammer now, it's too far in the Night and too close to Motley. And my job is to keep you safe until we get to Malingo."

"But-" Rose started but Carrion turned from her and vanished out the door.

"His job?!" Hannibal hissed "I'm the one supposed to be protecting you."

"Calm down Hannibal you are doing a fine job" Rose said "I promise you, we will go and save your father, I'll find a way."

Hannibal looked up at Rose with what could only be described as pure admiration.

"Rose, a promise is a big thing in the Abarat" he said "You shouldn't go around doing it lightly."

"I'm serious" Rose said looking straight into his amber eyes "I will save your father and the rest of the Tarrie Cats. But I need time to figure out how."

Hannibal's ears softened as Rose stroked his head a few times, the only way she knew how to comfort a cat thing, and looked out the window once more.

"You want to walk with me for a bit?" she said as she stared out the window "I want to see the sculptures down there."

Hannibal gladly agreed and offered his arm to Rose which made her giggle a little. They walked outside and started down the hill. Hannibal explained that they had taken refuge in the Asylum, and one of the many doctors on Orlando's Cap had shown them a room for Rose to rest in.

"How do you know so much Hannibal?" Rose said "Did your father teach you about all the islands?"

"Mostly" Hannibal nodded as they looked at a very fluid piece that was made of some purple stone "I read almost every book in his library before the Hag's guards burnt it down."

"Did any of your books have anything on my mother?" she asked as they moved along to a pile of rocks with several different faces carved into them.

"Oh tons!" Hannibal said happily "I read the complete history on her adventures and how she came to be the Queen of Day."

"And how did that happen?" Rose said "I'm sorry I ask so many questions, but I just want to know what kind of person was she."

"She was loved by almost everyone except the few on Gorgossium" Hannibal said "And I don't mind the questions, my brothers and sisters never wanted to hear what I had learned, they were too busy hunting and fighting, I think that's why my father liked me a bit more than all the others. Anyway, your mother saved the Abarat on many numerous occasions, first from Carrion" he said as his nose bunched up in distaste "Then from Motley herself, that was before I was born though, but from what I read both of them tried to turn the Abarat into Absolute Midnight, but somehow, your mother beat them both."

"She sounds brave" Rose said smiling as they walked through a small clove of trees.

"My father says she was" Hannibal said "Brave, and kind, and merciful. Then she disappeared for a couple of years and everyone thought she had died. Turns out she had visited other worlds besides the Hereafter, and returned to the Abarat to restore peace. The Council of the Islands thought she deserved some kind of reward although it clearly stated she wanted nothing, and made her Queen of Day. I read that there was a big vote through the Islands and mostly everyone wanted her to be their Queen anyway."

"Wow" Rose said entranced by Hannibal's words "So that's why I'm a Princess?"

"Yep! And the last remaining one" Hannibal said with a smile.

Rose nodded, giving Hannibal a break from talking as they moved farther down the hillside. Every once in a while they would run into someone, but no one would make eye contact with her or Hannibal, as they moved quickly away somewhere in the distance.

But soon, they wandered towards someone who was actually making a sculpture right there beside the sea with some red clay slopped all over their hands and face. It was a young woman with frizzy black hair and a tan dress that was also spotted in clay. Rose smiled kindly at her as she admired the woman's work. The red clay sculpture looked like a claw, although the fingertips where the nails should be cascaded down like vines.

"Does my Lady like?" the woman finally spoke, her voice small and unsure.

"Yes I like it very much" Rose said nodding as Hannibal remained warily silent.

"It's a portrait of my mother" the woman said a little more confidently.

"Wait how-" Hannibal started but Rose nudged him to be quiet.

"Did she like to plant?" Rose said pointing to the vines.

The woman's eyes widened, as if it was the first time someone understood what she was meaning "Yes! Yes! She would plant everything, squash, koko leaves, crepets, all sorts!"

"It's very beautiful" Rose said.

"Your mother would like it?" the woman asked.

"I don't know" Rose said shaking her head "She passed away."

The woman took this information with silence as she studied Rose's face for a minute before reaching down and scooping a large amount of clay. Rose was almost startled as the woman hurled the clod of material into Rose's hands before nodding triumphantly.

"You make now" the woman said "Make for mother."

Hannibal was about to object but Rose simply nodded and crouched down near the woman, careful not to get in her space as she began molding and sculpting with her hands.

"Rose you don't need to get your hands dirty" Hannibal said quietly beside her "I'm sure if we just walk away..."

"Don't be silly" Rose said shaking her head "I don't mind getting my hands dirty, plus, I haven't made anything since I came to the Abarat, and my hands are itching to be creative."

Hannibal only stared confused as Rose concentrated on her sculpture. She began thinking back to Hannibal's words about her mother. How she was brave, and kind...

 _"Maybe I can be brave and kind like her"_ she thought to herself _"Maybe I'm more like her than I think, even if I never knew her... I wonder who my father was? I'm sure Hannibal knows. And Carrion...why would someone who was that evil turn around and become who I'm sure he is now. He doesn't seem evil to me...just lonely..."_

Rose molded the clay until it seemed like some time had passed, even though it was forever two in the afternoon, she knew it had been a while from the hurt in her hands.

She didn't hear the footsteps though that came behind her and Hannibal as Christopher Carrion stood wrapped in his dark jacket even though the weather was pleasant.

The Tarrie Cat turned to look at him but Carrion made the motion for him to be quiet as he watched the Princess work.

 _"The Princess"_ he thought to himself _"How long have I been waiting for you? How long have I tried to avoid you?"_

He still could hear Candy's words on that beach...

 _"You must protect her"_ her voice whispered _"Promise me. No matter the cost..."_

He had promised, and a promise in the Abarat is not one that can easily be broken. It had tied him to this girl that sat before him with her hands in the mud, tied his soul along hers so that he must remain by her side. But for how long? What length of time protecting her could one expect? Did Candy mean for Carrion to be her guard and her keep? Nonsense, he couldn't do that, not to this girl...

Carrion remembered the moment he had awoken after Candy's passing. The light above him on that beach seeming more bright than any star or sun he could remember beforehand. But as he woke, he was not himself, not in his body. Instead he was much smaller, a child even...

"Christopher I told you to put a bell on! Stop sneaking up on me!" Rose's voice shouted out against Carrion's mind as his eyes fluttered back to the present.

"Apologies" he said gruffly.

Rose stood with her hands on her hips and a small statue of clay behind her.

"That's actually really good Rose" Hannibal said admiring the sculpture.

Carrion leaned a bit to look behind Rose and saw almost a perfect replica of his own face staring back at him.

"You have talent" he managed to say as Rose started to get a faint pink blush as she realized she had made him. That blush...the way the soft hue of pink started around her cheeks and up to her ears made that stirring inside his chest awaken once again.

"Thank you" she said "I didn't mean to make it you...it was just the first thing that popped in my head."

 _ **"Of course"**_ that dark voice in Carrion's mind said _**"Why would anyone make a sculpture of your ugly face, especially from someone as beautiful as her..."**_

 __"It's fine" he said quickly "But I'm afraid we must be going."

The woman who they had been sitting by finally perked up at the conversation beside her and looked at what Rose had made. She nodded her approval when she suddenly looked over at Carrion and let out a shriek so high it made Hannibal clap his paws over his ears before she went sprinting away from the trio.

Rose stood agape as she looked where the woman had run off to and then embarrassingly back to Christopher who stood with a almost bored stare.

"I'm sorry" Rose said softly "I'm not sure why she did that..."

"It is not uncommon" Carrion said in a dead tone "Most people have that reaction, although the screaming and running was a bit much. Forget it and let's be one our way."

"Where are we going?" Hannibal asked slightly afraid from the woman's reaction.

"To Nully" Christopher said "My contacts had informed me that they have sent my message to Malingo about the Princess's return, we are to meet him in a weeks time at Yebba Dim Day. But first we have to go and seek out the Abarataraba."

"The Abarataraba? That's a myth and you know it" Hannibal said defiantly, sure that Carrion was just telling them this to get Rose in a secluded spot where he could harm her.

"No myth, that book is real" Carrion said getting annoyed at the fur ball claiming that he didn't know what he was talking about even though Carrion was sure he was triple the Tarrie Cats age, not that he looked it anyhow..

"I'm sorry but what the heck is the Abarata-whatever?" Rose said confused.

"I'll explain on the way there, but for now we need to get on Longwei" Christopher said irritated at now both of them stalling.

"Fine" Rose huffed "But at least let me wash my hands first."

Carrion nodded and led the way towards the beach where Rose splashed the sea water and rubbed the clay from her hands.

 _"Bossy son of a-"_ she thought to herself _"Ordering me around, not telling me things, who does he think he is!"_

Then she remembered what Hannibal had told her about Christopher beforehand, something about him being a prince...

 _"Makes sense with his whole high and mighty attitude. If he orders me around one more time I swear I'm gunna-"_ she thought before Christopher shouted in her direction.

"I believe your hands are clean, now we must go" he said a bit harshly.

"Oooourrghhh!" Rose said slapping the water in frustration "What is the big rush!? It's not like we are under attack or something!"

And then quiet suddenly, a explosion rocked loudly behind her and flung her body into the ocean.


	9. Chapter 8: The Crunchy Kiss

The explosion that sent Rose flying into the ocean seemed like it had lasted hours when she knew for a fact that it could only have been a few seconds. But from the shock that sent her flying though the air, to the sounds that made her ears ring, and the force of her body hitting the water, Rose could swear it had been a lifetime before her head sprung up from the ocean water and gasped for air from the salty sea.

Her eyes burned as she tried to focus on the beach front, her ears still deafened by the explosion as she saw a flying blur careening through the air and blasting the beachfront with a lighting blue blaze that made Rose gasp outloud.

"ROSE!" she could hear Hannibal yowling at the top of his lungs "ROSE WHERE ARE YOU?!"

She sputtered and quickly tried to wipe the water from her eyes as her other hand waved violently to signal she was in the water.

"I see her! Carrion I see her!" Hannibal shouted and before Rose could think Longwei swooped down and latched on to Rose's body with his mighty claws. Rose clung to Longwei's black scales, her lungs coughing out the seawater that had lodged itself in her throat as she stared up to where Hannibal and Christopher were riding on top of Longwei.

"What was that?!" Rose finally got out as she refused to look down at how far up they were.

"Mercenaries for hire I'm suspecting" Carrion answered with a shout "I don't know how they found us but someone at the hospital is a spy for Motley!"

"So are we still going to Nully?!" Rose shouted, terrified that she had almost been killed just then.

"Too risky!" Carrion answered "We need a place that we are sure not to be found!"

"And where in the hell might that be?!" Rose shouted back.

"Hoobarookus might work!" Hannibal said hopeful.

"A place full of pirates?! I'm highly doubtful" Christopher said, his scoff heard loud above the whipping wind around them.

"If it's full of pirates maybe we can buy our way to someplace safe!" Rose yelled.

"And with what money?" Carrion asked.

"I've got money!" Rose yelled "Hereafter money! We can use it!"

Carrion thought for a moment before he kicked his heel to the left and sent Longwei north towards the swampy Hoobarookus.

"Hopefully you have enough" Carrion said as Longwei bellowed out in excitement at the prospect of actual safety from the sunlight. Although dragons loved the sun for short amounts of time, it was well known that a dark and damp cave beat any dry Day cave.

As they flew to Hoobarookus Rose watching the clouds glide below her, the fear of how high they were still tight in her belly, but none the less she couldn't help but admire the view of the beauty of the ocean.

Although Hoobarookus was at one in the afternoon, it became more cloudy then the nice clear sky of Orlando's Cap as the sea dulled to a dark gray that made Rose think of the sea back home right before it was about to storm.

"We are here!" Carrion shouted "Hold on tight!"

Longwei flew low to the ocean before turning quickly towards a rocky cliff where a nice dark cave seemed just right for the dragon to settle in. Rose admired how strong but graceful Longwei was as he landed so gently that Rose felt like she landed on a cushion rather than a scaly claw.

"I don't think we were spotted" Christopher said as he hopped off the dragon "Thankfully the rainy season is now and the cloud cover is thick."

Rose only nodded as she swayed slightly before being swept up against Christopher, his hand cupping her chin as he looked her over up and down.

"Are you alright?" he said gently as he stared into Rose's eyes that had turned a hot shade of blue at his touch.

"I think so" Rose said unable to break away from his eyes "I landed in the water..."

"I saw" Carrion said staring right back at her "I thought..."

"I'm hungry!" Hannibal exclaimed suddenly "And I smell food!"

Rose blinked away as her eyes broke contact with Carrion's.

"I do smell something amazing" Rose said huffing the air.

"Hoobarookus is known for it's food" Carrion said "But we need to make sure that nobody notices us. I thought Orlando's Cap was secluded enough, but I was mistaken. We need to think as if Motley's spies are everywhere, no matter how safe we might feel. Understood?"

Rose and Hannibal nodded, Rose wondering if this would how it would be, constantly running away from Motley. There must be a way to stop her surely? Her mother had done it twice before, she was sure she could find a way as well. Maybe if they found the book that Christopher had spoken of...

"Here take these" Carrion said handing both Hannibal and Rose dark cloaks "The Tarrie Cat needs the one with the bigger hood to hide his ears."

"Why doesn't Hannibal just shrink down in size?" The less of a crowd maybe the less we are spotted?" Rose thought.

"Hey! Don't try and blame us getting caught on me now!" Hannibal said crossing his arms like a child.

"I'm not saying that at all" Rose said "But I think the less people have to look at, the less we get noticed. And I'm sorry Hannibal, but a Tarrie Cat boy is pretty noticeable."

"Fine" Hannibal said sulking "But promise me you'll sneak some food in your backpack for me to eat."

"I will don't worry" Rose said opening her sack as Hannibal shrunk down and hopped in it. Rose collected his clothes and folded them nicely against where Hannibal sat impatiently. Rose could feel her stomach grumbling too as it loudly complained. The noise echoed in the cave and she quickly looked over at Carrion in apology.

"Sorry, guess it has been a while since I last ate" Rose said putting the backpack on and the cloak over it.

"Then let's get you fed" Carrion said as he adjusted his sword to his side and began walking from the cave.

"Bye Longwei! Be good while we are gone okay!?" Rose said waving as the black dragon settled nicely on some damp rocks and snorted a goodbye at them.

Carrion shook his head with a small smile. It was almost adorable the way the girl talked to his beast, knowing that if Longwei had the notion, he could swallow her whole without even thinking. But he had noticed that the dragon simply tolerated the girl, his mannerisms calm and gentle around her when he could easily have acted out otherwise.

"Christopher?" she suddenly said as she walked up beside him.

"Why do you keep calling me by my first name?" he suddenly snapped.

"Oh! Uh" Rose said as she looked away sheepishly, her eyes turning a soft green "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to. I'm so used to just calling someone by their first name. I guess if you were older I would add a Mr. or something like that. But you don't look too older than me, so I think that would be weird."

Carrion stopped and thought about her words. For so long people had called him Carrion, or My Lord, only his grandmother had used his first name. For someone like Rose, someone who was the complete opposite of Mater Motley, it was strange it him to be called something so personal. But did it really offend him?

"Forgive me" he said shaking his head "I'm not used to being called by my first name. Even your mother called me Carrion."

"I'm sorry, if you want-" she began.

"No, it's...pleasant when you call me Christopher" he said hesitantly "I do not dislike it. As long as it's just you though that calls me it."

Rose couldn't help but feel her face flush at his words. He was after all handsome, and to hear practically anything gentle towards her would make her feel shy and excited at the same time. Sure, she had boyfriends before, only a few though. But none had really looked at her like Carrion...Christopher did. It made her chest seem to tingle, and she feared she would get attached to someone that did not care about her like she had done so many times before.

"Alright" Rose finally said with a smile, her eyes now cornflower blue "As long as it doesn't bother you."

Carrion seemed to nod as they made their way towards a town, although town was a little generous in description to Rose. Many houses with shingled roofs were soaked from the oncoming rain as lights glared out from the mist of different taverns where Rose could hear many people shouting. She knew pirates could be loud and boisterous, even dangerous and crude, but with Christopher here she felt at least a little more safe than she would had she come to this place be herself.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked as a few passerby's quickly skittered by, trying to avoid the rain as much as possible.

"The Crunchy Kiss" Christopher said ahead of her.

"The Crunchy Kiss?" Rose said with a bit of a laugh "What kind of name is that?"

"It's one of the more prominent taverns on Hoobarookus. I have a acquaintance there were we might find some shelter and some food" he said turning down a alleyway.

"Food sounds great" Rose said feeling the biting of her stomach grow the more they walked. Finally a sign with a large mouth and what seemed to be furry lips and sharp teeth hung brightly lit against the rainy alleyway.

"We are here" Christopher said holding out his hand to Rose "Be sure to stick close to me, and keep your head down lest someone see your eyes."

"Oh right" she said forgetting that she had an unnatural characteristic that would surely be noticed even by the drunkest of customers. Rose took his hand and brought herself close to his body, happy to be near his warmth from the coldness of the air.

Rose tilted her head down and pulled the hood past her nose to avoid anyone sneaking a peek at her face before Christopher opened the door and the bustle of the busy tavern was heard all around them. Rose tried to steady her breathing, her heart panicking and her eyes surely a bright yellow of fear and alertness to the noises around her. She could hear Carrion talking to somebody close by and soon enough she was led past the crowd and up a few stairs to a more secluded balcony. A door opened and Christopher quickly moved inside and shut the door against the roar of the tavern below.

"Captain Samson I am pleased to introduce to you the Princess of Day, Rose Quackenbush" Christopher said before gently removing Rose's hood as she stared up at the bear of a man before her. Captain Samson was at least six foot seven, a giant even next to Christopher himself, and a burly one at that. His chest was barreled out against thick arms that crossed over with serveral tattoos that Rose couldn't even begin to take in there were so many. His face though was round, a deep auburn beard surrounding a plump nose and squinty eyes that smiled down at her. It was only a deep scar that ran down his eyebrow and against his temple and cheeks that made Rose realize that this man was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

"Pleased to meet you my Lady" Captain Sampson said with a quick bow "Smither A. Sampson at your service."

"Captain Samson was a friend of mine growing up" Christopher said with a small smile towards Rose.

"At least in this lifetime!" Samson said with a deep chuckle "Cho only knows that you've been Lazurused up at least four times now!"

"Lazurused?" Rose said as her hands went to undo her cloak.

"Yes my Lady" Samson said as he clapped Christopher on the back "Carrion here has been resurrected more than my Aunt Phan, and she's close to 300 this year!"

"I think you are being generous" Christopher said, his voice almost shy as he looked away from the two "Your Aunt Phan was at least a 100 by my first Becoming."

"Interesting" Rose said "So you can bring people back from the dead?"

"Back from the dead! A'zo,! You could bring back someone's spirit as long as there's a body to put it in!" Sampson laughed at Rose.

"Then why didn't someone do that to my mother?" Rose asked bluntly.

The two men suddenly got quiet as Captain Sampson looked to Carrion to answer that difficult question.

"Because there wasn't a body, or a spirit left to do it" Christopher said darkly "And even if one could, bringing people back from the dead doesn't always end well."

"What he's talking about is Princess Bo-" Sampson started before a sharp look from Carrion stopped him in his tracks.

"I uh, better fetch you something to eat then eh? Mary's cooking up a storm downstairs, so I'm sure there is plenty for the two of ya" Sampson said making his way out of the door quietly, leaving Rose and Christopher staring at one another.

"Why do you keep doing that!" Rose hissed at him as she walked towards him like she was a snake about to strike.

"I don't know what you are talking about" Christopher said looking away hard as his eyes focused on the bed within the room.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Rose said "Why do you keep withholding things from me! If you can't trust me then we aren't going to be able to-"

"We aren't going to do anything" Christopher suddenly said, the tone of his voice taking on a harsh tone "The minute we arrive at Yebba Dim Day is the moment you will leave my company for good. There you will be safe with the one that your mother _should_ have had protect you all along."

"Fine by me!" Rose said as her hands flew up in the air "Maybe then someone will actually tell me what the hell is going on instead of acting like a petulant child!"

Christopher sighed in frustration and sat on the bed as his hands pinched the section between his eyes.

"If anyone is acting like a child it is you" he growled.

"Me?!" Rose said "Your the one that's always acting like someone has spit in your face! You have no idea what I've been through! My entire life I have been alone, even when people were around me I have never felt like I was normal! And now, now I'm here in this amazing world and all I want to know is who the hell I am and you won't let me! You want to keep me in the dark and I'm sick of it. I want to know who my mother really was, I want to know why she gave me away!" Rose said her eyes now stained dark gray as tears welled down her cheeks. Exhaustion and hunger had made her ragged, and now on top of Christopher acting like this towards her, well...it was just too much to handle.

She needed to breath as she stomped away, her hand grabbing the handle before taking a deep breath and turning to Carrion, her eyes flashing brick red in anger.

"It must be nice knowing **exactly** who you are, even if it's a prick like you" she sneered before darting out the door and out in the hallway.

Christopher stared at the door, the hollowness in his chest growing the farther and farther away Rose got from him. Her words had stung him like a knife, the hopelessness, the anger and frustration coming out with each syllable. He had misjudged her, had thought that she would be better off knowing that she was a Princess and that is all. Isn't that what most women wanted? To know that they were higher and better than most?

 **"What do you know of women?"** the dark voice said inside himself **"The only women you have known have either hated you, tricked you, or haven't felt the same for you..."**

"Quiet" he tried to tell himself. That voice, the voice that he had back before Candy, back before his transformation into the new monster he was now. Sure, she had changed his face, gave him a new start, but the memories were still there, memories of that scarred face, those hollow eyes. And his heart that seemed just as black as it was back then. How could he have thought, even for a moment, that she would see him as anything but what he always knew he was...

"You should go talk to her" Hannibal suddenly said as he hopped his way out of Rose's bag she had left on the other side of the bed "Ladies shouldn't have a reason to cry like that."

"What good would that do?" Carrion said shaking his head.

"It could do a lot" Hannibal said "After all, she was the one that wanted to help you initially."

"What?" Christopher said surprised as he turned to the tiny cat who began cleaning himself of the salt water.

"She saw that cook refuse you, she wanted to give you something to eat. Even after I told her not to, she still did what's right. She seems to have a habit of doing that" Hannibal said as he looked towards Carrion "Maybe you should take a cue from her."

Carrion sat there and contemplated the Tarrie Cat's words. In talking to a female, he had little experience. Since Candy he had seen them try and twist and turn words into something else, trying to gain and get higher in status through him. He did not trust them, the only one he had trusted had broken his heart...

"Carrion" Hannibal said "Are you going after her or should I?"

Christopher made a decision then, and stood silently as he walked to the door. Maybe he should take after Rose...that fire in her eyes, the way her words slapped him like lighting to his skin, she was more like the Queen then she realized. Maybe then...she would see what her mother saw in him, even if he himself didn't know what that was...


	10. Chapter 9: A Great and Unspeakable Power

Rose ran into the hallway, her eyes filled with hot tears as she quickly tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand. She darted down the hallway, desperate for some fresh air as she twisted down another walkway until she saw doors leading outside to a balcony.

Quickly she opened the doors and the fresh rain that fell from the sky hit her face. She breathed deeply, soaking in the mist and hiding the streaks of tears on her cheeks with pure rainfall.

"That ass" she said to herself "He has no clue..."

She had confessed that she had been lonely, and in a way it was true. Ever since she came to the Abarat, she felt a sense of belonging. Nothing seemed that strange here, even if it seemed unreal. Talking cats, sea skippers, islands that were hours of the day and night, all of it was just fantasy. But it was hers and hers alone, and it's pieces fit in the small holes and cracks of her soul. But Christopher, he withheld some of that from her, he made her wonder and keep wondering about crucial things about herself and this place that was apparently her home. It wasn't fair and it was cruel. Now she began to see some of the things Hannibal had said about him were probably true...

"You should step inside" she heard his voice behind her.

"Why? It's not like you care about me" Rose said harshly even if she really didn't mean it "Your just going to get rid of me soon, what's a cold going to do from our time here to Yebba Dim Day?"

She heard him sigh behind her and a quiet rustling was heard before Carrion draped his long jacket over Rose's head, shielding her from the rain and letting himself be soaked in it.

Rose stood there dumfounded for a moment before turning around and facing him.

"I apologize" he said quietly "I did not realize what withholding my past and yours would do to you."

"I just want to understand" she said a little weakly "I just want to know why all of this is happening. There's so much I don't know, and so much that you do."

"Some things shouldn't be brought up, the past can hurt without meaning to" Carrion said staring at this girl who's eyes sunk down at his words.

"Yes, the past can hurt" she said before looking back up at him with sparkling sienna eyes "But you need the past to change the future. Or else you'll just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I won't judge you Christopher, that wouldn't be fair."

Christopher stood there soaking wet as Rose's words took hold of him. She was right, in all the ways a person could be right, and to him it sent a fear creeping in his belly that made him want to run back to the room and shut her out for the rest of their time at the tavern. Instead, he willed his body to stand still as Rose's eyes softened to a deep blue that reminded him of the seas of Midnight.

"Whatever happened" Rose began "It happened, and nobody can change that. But that was then and I'm a firm believer in the presence of now."

Christopher looked away for a moment, his dark thoughts fighting against the voice inside his chest before Rose suddenly came forward and wrapped her arms around his chest, sending any voice he heard silent in the awe of her action. He had never truly been hugged before, and although to Rose the act was innocent, to him it was an act of pure monument.

"You can trust me" Rose said "Because I trust you."

Christopher felt something crack, whether it was his bones, his flesh, or his soul, but the crack sent something warm flooding through his veins and his arms moving to hold Rose closer to himself.

"Alright" he said quietly.

Rose looked up then at Christopher, her eyes a bright dancing blue that made Christopher's throat swallow hard as she smiled at him gently. How could this creature of goodness look at him like that?

"Let's get out of the rain?" she said as she moved away from him, breaking the embrace that made Carrion's arms long for them to be back around her once more. He stopped himself just then, knowing those kinds of feelings were not only dangerous, but catastrophic for him personally. It would not due to become addicted the feeling of her touch, even if he was starved for affection for the last few centuries. He could not...no, he would not even think the word that these feelings suggested. But he would follow this girl back inside, if only to get away from the cold of the rain.

They walked back to the room as Rose pushed open the wooden door only to find Hannibal feasting on the food that Captain Sampson had brought them.

"I hope there's some left for us" Rose grimaced at the sight of the cat boy gorging himself of delicious food.

"Sorry" Hannibal said guiltily as he shoved a fish roll in his face "But I couldn't help myself."

"That's alright" Rose said shaking her head as Carrion gave the boy a sharp look before it softened at Rose's arched eyebrow to him "We will manage I'm sure."

The three of them ate as Rose helped herself to tasty dishes that she couldn't pronounce while Carrion ate little and said little as Hannibal jabbered on between stuffing his face and blabbering about where each food came from. Rose listened patiently, her head nodding but her eyes stealing glances towards Carrion in curiosity. She wondered why he had hardly touched his food, but then figured he was already a brooding type of person, he must eat when he feels like it. His gaze was focused though, so Rose wouldn't interrupt whatever thoughts he was having.

Soon though, as all good meals that fill you up go, Hannibal began yawning and curling himself at the edge of the bed, his eyes droopy from the hot meal and soft blankets they had been given. Rose braided her hair carefully, knowing that all the sea water and rain would make her hair completely unmanageable if she let it go wild for too long. After she was successful her cream blonde hair was braided nicely down her shoulder as she looked in her backpack for some kind of night dress to sleep in.

"Um" she said realizing now that there was only one bed in the room, and Hannibal was already taking up half of it "Christopher do you want the bed?"

Carrion turned to her from the window he had been staring out of with confusion as he looked to her and then back to the bed. If Rose had ever seen the slightest of blushes on Carrion, it was now as he cleared his throat and shook his head.

"No, you and the boy can have the bed. I am perfectly fine sleeping on the floor" he said as he quickly turned back to the window.

"Alright" she said hesitantly "I don't mind sharing if you get uncomfortable, it's just going to be a tight squeeze."

"I am fine I assure you" he said without looking at her.

"Alright, well" she said looking around for a place to change but only found the corner least likely for anyone to peek at her body "Just don't turn around okay?"

"As you wish" Carrion said quickly, his eyes making sure to dart down less he saw her reflection in the glass. Carrion realized he was holding his breath as he heard Rose's clothes drop to the floor and the shuffle of her nightdress falling down her body. He imagined her exposed skin, the pinkness and the flush of her cheeks if she looked over at him-

 _"Stop"_ he commanded himself _"Do not even think of it. She is a Princess, and you..."_

 _ **"You are just a monster."**_

 _"You are not worthy to look upon her like that"_ he said to himself calmly, wishing the darkness away from his mind.

"Alright you are good" he heard her say behind him. Christopher turned, almost a little too eagerly to gaze upon her and blind out the darkness that seemed to want to creep in.

She was...angelic.

Her thick braided hair that hung over her exposed shoulder accented the nightdress's straps that held up the sweetheart chest of the long pale skirt. She was beautiful in the way the moon was beautiful, and his eyes greedily stared at her before turning away for her modesty.

"Very well" he said as he took a few pillows from the bed and laid down on the wooden floor that creaked underneath him.

"Well wait" Rose said coming and sitting beside him, her face hanging above his with a gentle smile "I thought now would be a good time to talk."

"Talk?" he muttered, a bit amused at her behavior.

"Mhhm" she said "Maybe get to know one another? I mean, we met up so fast and have been through a lot in a short amount of time, but I don't know hardly anything about you except what Hannibal has told me."

"Why would you want to know anything about me if Hannibal has told you what everyone else knows about myself?" he asked curious of her intentions.

"Well" she said shrugging "People only know what they hear, I'd rather find out who you are from yourself."

Carrion couldn't help it, he smiled. A big proper smile of amusement that left his cheeks feeling strange from the unfamiliar movement.

"Very well" he said as he sat up and leaned against the bed "I will answer anything that you desire."

"Well Sampson mentioned a Princess-" Rose began.

"Anything, except that" Carrion said sternly.

"Ohhkay" Rose said rolling her eyes as she huffed "Okay, here's one that's been bothering me, how old are you really?"

"Truly?" Carrion said with a laugh "I would supposed I am almost eighty."

"Eighty!" Rose said with a gasp "But you barely look over twenty-five!"

Christopher laughed again "That was your mother's doing. I supposed she wanted me to look a little less scary than what I had looked like."

"What do you mean?" Rose said getting comfortable as she laid down in front of him, her arm propping up her head as she stared at him.

"It's a long story" he said shaking his head.

"Well, at least start it for me" Rose said.

Christopher sighed before he began, knowing it was probably futile to try and persuade her from asking otherwise as he begun "When I was younger, before your mother came to the Abarat, I was once the most feared person in all the Islands."

"That's what Hannibal said" Rose nodded.

"Right" he said "But, your mother changed that. She was...bright. Bright and formidable, and more clever than anyone I had come across. She made an excellent enemy, but after she defeated me, she became something more. I think she felt the shift in our relationship too" he said seeming to stare off into space.

"You became friends?" Rose asked intrigued.

"I would suppose so yes" he said smiling a little to himself "She sought me out, but not to claim my life, but to help me rebuild it and fight against my grandmother. I did willingly, for I felt that if I could not beat her, then I would join her. It was a strange time for me then."

"Hmm" Rose said as she laid her head down but still looked up at him "So what happened after she came back?"

"After she came back" he said as his voice shifted "She became Queen. There was a lot she didn't understand, she probably was a lot like you are now. But the only difference is she carried a child within her."

"Who was my father?" Rose asked.

"A boy named Gazza" Carrion said shaking his head "Their love seemed fleeting and forced, but your mother later explained that it was because they needed to create you. I still don't understand that, but that's what she said and I believed her."

"So you really didn't know him?" Rose said, her voice getting softer.

"No, I did not" he said shaking his head "He was merely an acquaintance. He died shortly after your mother escaped Motley and sent you away."

"Why did she do it?" Rose asked, her eyes going heavy as she tried to stay awake to listen to Carrion.

"You must understand" he said gently "Your mother loved you more than anything, more than her own life. To lose you was her greatest and only sorrow. She sent you away with that necklace around your neck and hoped one day you would return to restore the Abarat to the way it once was. She possessed a power Rose, a great and unspeakable power, and she used it to open the portal to our world to the Hereafter, to send you away and close the gates. Then, she released the rest of her power, sending her body and spirit into the world to defeat the darkness that Motley wanted the world trapped in."

"A power?" Rose asked, her eyes closed now as her hand reached for her necklace.

"Yes" he said staring at her "A _great_ and _unspeakable_ power. The same one that was given to you."

"Christopher?" Rose said quietly.

"Yes?" he said softly back as not to wake her.

"Thank you for telling me" she said before finally succumbing to sleep.

Christopher stared down at her sleeping form, her body's curve like the waves of the sea beside him. That hair, the blonde curls that swept around her face left his mind quiet as he studied her. She truly was incredible, her big moon eyes, those long lashes that peacefully lay against her soft skin. Her nose, straight yet childlike just as her mother's was, and those lips that were full and pink which breathed out gently as she slept.

He would give anything to sleep beside her, to wake and see those eyes gaze upon him first above all other things. To see her smile...

Silently, he closed his eyes on that vision, and swept it away from his mind. It would never happen, for he couldn't let himself feel what had broken him into the monster he was in the first place.

The dreaded feeling, the word that had gotten his lips sewn together that the mere thought of it still made them hurt.

He could not, and would not **love.**


	11. Chapter 10: Ships and Sails

Rose awoke from one of the best sleeps in her entire life as her eyes protested to open from the shining sun through the window. She yawned and stretched out, her bones creaking beneath her skin as she looked over to the empty side of the bed. Quickly she looked around and found Hannibal laying in the sunlight on the floor in his mini form, while Christopher was nowhere to be found.

Quietly she decided to get dressed while there was nobody really paying attention (Hannibal was sleeping so soundly she could hear him faintly snoring) as she unbraided her long hair. The harem pants and the cropped top she had purchased seemed even more right of a fashion choice as she looked out the window to find the once deserted street side bustling now with activity. Hoobarookus truly was a pirate island as men and women looked like the swashbuckling characters out of her books she had read.

She smiled down at the crowd and wondered if she would be able to go outside today to enjoy the fresh air that Hoobarookus seemed to have today, compared to the gloomy atmosphere when she had first arrived. Unfortunately the door knocked and Carrion came in dressed for travel. His long dragon scaled jacket reminded her of Longwei's body as his dark shirt and pants made him look like he would fit in with the rest of the pirates down below. Those eyes of his though, piercing as they were, happened to be focused right on her with a soft frown.

"What's wrong?" Rose said, scared they were in danger once again.

"There is news of you" Christopher said walking in and closing the door "We need to move fast. We must get to Nully and then find another place to hide for a few days. It won't be long before somebody comes sniffing around here looking for the supposed lost princess. And there are many noses lurking in Hoobarookus."

"Alright" Rose said "But let's focus on getting to Nully first."

Christopher nodded at her "Flying Longwei is too risky at the moment, he can hide better without us tying him down. That's why Sampson is letting us stow away on his ship to Nully."

"How long will it be by ship?" Rose asked collecting her things "It only seemed a couple hours riding Longwei."

"To Nully it will take at least three days" he said gently picking up Hannibal from his spot on the floor "If the Izabella makes the journey smooth."

"Hmmm" Rose said with a smile as Hannibal was handed to her from Christopher, the cat's lazy eyes going back to sleep as she let him rest inside her bag "I love that name. Is the entire sea called Izabella?"

"Yes" Carrion said as he gestured to the door for them to leave "Now put on your cloak until we reach the docks to the ship."

"Oh right!" Rose said grabbing the cloak and putting the hood over her head.

They set off out of the tavern, Rose doing her best to keep her face covered from any prying eyes that may be looking for her. Christopher moved swiftly ahead of her, his body confident in where they must go. Rose admired the way he strode past everyone, as if nobody else was as important as himself. She could see where he got some of his reputation as people divided like the sea avoiding his sharp gaze. Rose felt like a servant following behind him so closely, her instintcs wanting her to shed the dark cloak from herself and show that she was not some weakling following the great and powerful Carrion around. But she knew the danger, knew that although it might be fufilling for a moment, it would cause even more danger to their situation.

As the smell of the sea reached her nose Rose smiled gently, they were almost out of danger. She could hear men yelling and cargo being hauled around the docks. Her feet pounded against some of the rotting wood planks and her heart skipped a beat when Christopher finally adressed her.

"Captain Sampson has promised us safe passage" he said as his head turned to speak to her "But the crew is still in the dark about why they are going to Nully. It's just a precaution incase Motley has any spies on board."

"So we have to hide again?" she said feeling irritated.

"Sampson said we could stay in the captain's quaters" Carrion said as he led them to the docking plank of Sampson's ship.

"Great" Rose said rolling her eyes. She was hoping that she would actually get to be out in the open for a while, but sadly she was mistaken. Maybe when they reached Nully she could come out from behind her cloak.

They boarded the ship, a hearty welcome from Captain Sampson as he led his guests into the captains quarters of the ship while the rest of the crew prepared to ship out.

As she heard the door close behind her Rose happily whipped off the cloak with a content sigh. She looked around the room which looked like any sea captains quarters, with maps strung out across a large wood desk, telescopes for navigating the stars, pictures of older captains that no doubt ran the ship long ago. Only a few cushion chairs and a chest seemed to be the new furniture the room had seen in over a decade.

"My crew won't be askin a whole lot of questions as long as you both stay in here" Sampson said as he stepped forward towards Rose "I'll have my first mate bring some food and rations up that way you won't have to leave for the gully down below."

"Thank you Sampson" Carrion said with a nod "Your generosity does not go unnoticed."

"Anything for the Princess" Sampson said with a smile towards Rose who smiled back happily. Carrion suddenly felt a pang of jealousy as he cleared his throat while giving Sampson a knowing look. The burly captain simply chuckled and bowed before leaving the room with just Christopher and Rose. Hannibal still lay sleeping in Rose's backpack as she checked on him, unaware of the tension that was coming off of Christopher unwillingly.

"So when we get to Nully what exactly am I supposed to do?" Rose asked closing the backpack quietly to let Hannibal rest.

"My sources say that you are supposed to get the book your mother left for you" Christopher said trying to keep his voice from sounding harsh even though that smile that Sampson had given Rose replayed over in his mind again and again.

"The book? You mean that Abaratar-whatever?" Rose said as her eyes flashed a curious hazel color.

"The Abarataraba, yes" Carrion said seriously.

"What's so special about the Abarataraba?" Rose asked now sitting down in a cushioned seat.

"It is the book that holds all the power and secrets the Abarat has to offer" Carrion said thoughtfully as his eyes seemed to wander into memories "Many have sought it out, I did not know your mother even possessed it until after she passed away. It can bring absolute destruction or create an entire new world with all the magic it holds within it's pages. My father once had a small piece of a page that he possessed from the book, and with it he gained all his fortune and standing within the Abarat. We were considered royalty by how powerful we were, and that was only with a small piece of the book. Imagine what you could do with a couple full pages, let alone the entire thing..."

"That seems incredibly dangerous" Rose said a little in awe.

"Oh it is" Carrion said shaking his head "And to think your mother had it for so long..."

"Is that why I need to get it?" Rose said figuring it out "So that I can read it? I can't even do magic."

"You can do it because your eyes will teach you" Christopher said now looking right at her. That intense stare of his, those diamond blue eyes, they cut right through her and made her shiver even though the cabin was warm.

"That doesn't make much sense" Rose said looking away from him "But I will try."

Suddenly they both heard loud shouting as the ship began to take off on the sea. Rose happily got up and looked out some of the windows that the captains cabin had to offer as the sea began rushing behind the ship, the wind catching the sails just right for their journey.

"I've never been on a boat before" Rose said with a smile to Carrion who looked at her steadily. Her eyes were shining a bright blue, like the sea behind her, and for a moment he lost himself in her face. How he wished that he could see that face every day, smiling, happy, and looking right at him.

"Christopher?" he heard Rose's voice call out as he blinked and looked at her now worried eyes.

"Apologies" he said as he turned from her and began looking at the maps that were still scattered over Sampson's desk.

Rose raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the window, unaware of Carrion sneaking another peak at her before looking back to the maps.

"So you said you were royalty" Rose said still watching the sea below her "And Hannibal said you were a sorcerer. Are both of those things true?"

"Yes" he said "They were."

"Were?" Rose said growing a little motion sick as she turned around to face him, her body leaning against the cool glass "As in not anymore?"

"Correct" Carrion said with a slight grimace at the truth of the situation.

"Care to explain?" Rose said probing more since he was willing to give up information at this time.

"I was a prince" Carrion began "But after I betrayed Mater Motley for your mother, that title was stripped away from me by her. And I was a sorcerer, I knew a lot of magic, but that too was lost when your mother died. I used up so much magic trying to spare you and her that my body was destroyed and my magic gone."

"Your body was destroyed?" Rose said a little worried now "But then how are you here right now?"

With that Carrion looked up at Rose with a sad grin "Your mother. It was one of her last and final gifts I suppose. To make me look like this" he said gesturing to his face.

"Is this not how you've always looked?" Rose said coming towards him.

"No, in fact I looked quite frightening before your mother took away all the scars from my past, but she did not take the memories of them unfotunately" he said looking away from her pitying stare. He could not stand pity, did not need it even now after all he had been through. Quickly he shot up and started for the door, wanting to get away from the feelings that were plagueing his mind.

"I am going to see where we are now that we are catching speed" he said sternly "I will return in a while."

And with that Carrion shut the door behind him a little too loudly for Rose's sake. She felt a pain in her chest just then, rejection not sitting well with her at all by Christopher's quick retreat. She had probed too far into his past, knowing he was sensative about it. But the more she learned about him, the more she understood herself in a way. Her mother had given him a beautiful face and a new life to try and fix the damage of whatever he had been through beforehand. But sadly, she could tell he still remembered, whatever horrible things that happened to Christopher Carrion, his mind still held their memories tightly.

She sighed and sat down on a chair, wondering where they wound be able to sleep for the remainder of the trip. She suddenly heard rustling and Hannibal popped out of her backpack refreshed from his nice long cat nap he had taken.

"Did you sleep well?" Rose asked as he transformed into his bigger cat boy form.

"For the most part" Hannibal said with a grin as he pulled his shorts on "Except your snoring kept me awake for some time."

"I do not snore!" Rose said feining offense "I merely sleep loudly."

Hannibal laughed at that before looking out the window at the sea. Rose loved the way Hannibal's ears perked up whenever he was truly interested in something, reminding her that although he was part human, he was very much part cat as well.

"Hey Hannibal" Rose asked on a wim "What do you know of Christopher? I mean, besides all the bad stuff? Did you read anything about him?"

Hannibal sniffed a little at the dust on the window before turning to Rose with a curious expression "Why do you wana know?" he said coming towards her.

"He's always really upset whenever his past gets brought up, it would be nice to know what not to say when he's around so I don't upset him" Rose said trying to sound innocent. Yes she wanted to know, not only to not upset him, but also to try and understand him.

"Well okay" Hannibal said sitting down in front of Rose so she could pet behind his ears. Rose obliged happily as she stroked his fur as a deep purr started in Hannibals chest.

"All I really know is what I've read, but from the books my father had, I know that he was a great prince on the island of Midnight. It was said that his whole family was killed in a horrible fire and only him and his grandmother survived. Later on though, it was revealed that his grandmother had started the fire on purpose so that she could have Christopher all to herself to raise."

"She killed her own family?" Rose said a little horrified "That's awful."

"That's not the worst part" Hannibal said happy that Rose had her full attention on him now "His grandmother did awful things to him, tortured him into the person he is today. My father said once she sewed his lips shut for a whole year for even saying the word love in front of her."

"What an evil woman" Rose said quietly to herself.

"And after that it's all history" Hannibal said shaking his head "He committed a lot of evil acts against the Abarat."

"But it wasn't all him" Rose said quietly "He was made to be that way..."

"It doesn't matter" Hannibal said shaking his head "He could have chosen not to do the things he did."

"But he did choose" Rose said remembering Carrion's words "He chose to stop and join my mother."

"I guess your right" Hannibal mumbled "But I still don't trust him."

"Well I do" Rose said "And I'm a pretty good judge of character, that's why I'm friends with you!"

"Hey!" Hannibal said giggling as Rose started to tickle him under the arms.

Carrion walked in just then as Hannibal fell over from laughter and a small smirk crossed his face as both of them looked up as if they were children being caught doing something bad.

"Would you like to come up on deck now?" he asked casually as the door behind him opened to a new world waiting for them all.


	12. Chapter 11: Vices and Virtues

As they went up on deck Rose hurried to the edge of the ship to look out at the vast sea before her. All her life she had dreamed for something like this, and now that she was here, the feeling in her chest was almost indescribable. The sea waves rose and fell and changed colors before her from sea green to a deep blue. She could see an island in the distance, the sky ahead lighting significantly from where they were.

"What island is that?" She said more to herself but she was surprised when Christopher came up beside her to answer.

"That's Yzil" he said relaxing against the ships railing "Noon in the Abarat. It's a lush forest with crystal clear waterfalls. The Princess Breath once lived there deep in the forest."

"Princess?" Rose asked curious "So there's more than one princess here in the Abarat?"

"Only a few, the Princess Breath was considered the Creatrix, every breath from her lungs created a new creature for the Abarat" he said staring at the island.

"What happened to her?" Rose asked seeing the pain in Christopher's eyes.

"Motley" he said with a dark tone "She captured the Princess and imprisoned her on Midnight to breath life into her stitchlings and create monsters for her Empire."

"Stitchlings?" Rose said.

"Horrible creatures sewn together from rotting flesh, or sometimes fresh skin from corpses. She has a whole sewing circle of witches to create them. She used to fill them with this kind of mud that gave them life. But after the past few years she's ran her resources down and had to find another way to make her army after your mother destroyed the first one."

"Motley's hurt a lot of people" Rose said with sadness as Christopher nodded. Rose looked up at him "She's hurt you most of all."

Christopher didn't meet her eyes but she could tell her words had hit him as he stared out to the sea as they began slowly passing Yzil. Rose turned to look around the ship and found several crew members staring at the pair with wide eyes. She felt herself tense up, wondering if they knew who she was.

"They aren't looking at you" he said "they are looking at me."

"Are you really all that bad?"She asked with a grin

"I've done many bad things" he said

"Everyone's done something bad" she said with a small shake of her head "not everyone's perfect."

"Oh _really?_ " He said with an amusement as his eyebrow rose a tad "Name one bad thing you have done then."

" _Okay…._ " she said thinking for a moment "I stole something once"

"Truly?" Christopher said now with a smile

"Mmmhm it was a pack of bubblegum" she said with a chuckle "I was in the gas station with the other children and saw a pack of bubblegum I had seen advertised on the TV. I never wanted anything like that before, but I couldn't help reaching out and sticking it in my pocket"

Christopher smiled at her tale, not know what bubblegum or a gas station really was but loving the tone and enthusiasm in her voice. "What happened after you took it?" He said.

"I felt awful" she laughed "I was so racked with guilt that I went back the next day and gave the gum to the clerk all the while sobbing" she giggled again.

Christopher laughed "And how old were you?"

"Six!" She said and they both shared a good chuckle for a moment. Christopher felt strange being this content for however brief the moment was. He never laughed like this before, but Rose had a charm about her that he couldn't help but find amusing. His face felt strange as he found himself actually smiling, so much that the edges of his mouth slightly hurt.

"Well you certainly are a world class thief" he said looking back out into the ocean.

"Well I might not be the big bad guy that you are" she said in a teasing tone of voice "But it did teach me a lesson. After all, that's the point of making mistakes, to learn from them."

Christopher grew quiet for a moment, thinking if he had learned anything from his own choices. He had learned not to trust, not to feel, not to become vulnerable, and certainly of all not to get attached. Boa had taught him that much….

"Did I say something wrong?" Rose asked bringing him from his thoughts to the present "You seem upset."

He looked down at her with a slight grimace before grumbling "Maybe some lessons aren't the best to be learned" he said before walking away from Rose to talk to one of the crew members.

" _Jeeze, this guy was hot and cold to the max"_ she thought shaking her head and looking out to the sea.

She could see different ships in the distance all passing by on one trip to another, their lives moving even if there was an evil empire ruling most of it. She shook her head and guessed that's what most of history did while under oppression, until someone came along that put a stop to it. Would that person be her? She looked down at her locket, the colors swirling in the stone much like her eyes did. This stone held something powerful, something she alone could use. Maybe after they reached Nully and found the Abaratara she could use it. She knew Motley had to be stopped, just from hearing Hannibal's story that surely reflected so many others made her want to stop it. But was her power going to be enough? She turned and looked towards Christopher who after a moment returned to her side.

"We should get a few hours rest while we can" he said.

"Alright" Rose nodded, needing time to think about what she could do and what purpose she was going to serve with her time in the Abarat. She followed Christopher back into the captain's quarters and was led into a tiny wooden room with a small bed and a chest to keep their belongings in. Rose admired the cozy space, but yet once again there was only one bed to be shared between the two of them.

"You can sleep in here for the time being" he said as he took off his jacket and placed it in the chest, his fingers running through his dark hair and feeling the shaved sides that no doubt could use a trim.

"What about you?" Rose asked grabbing her bag and placing it also in the chest.

"I'll keep watch outside the door" he said as he took off another layer or what looked like armor and revealed his lanky but muscular frame. Rose liked the way he looked in just his pants, suspenders and white shirt. It almost made him look less intimidating than normal.

"Christopher I _thought_ you said we were safe" Rose said putting her hands on her hips.

"We are, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared" he said sticking his hands in his pant pockets.

"Well what about you? Don't you need to sleep?" She said gesturing up and down at him "You've been up more than I have in the last couple of days. I'm sure you are tired."

Christopher sighed and hated that she was right. He was exhausted, and his mind muddled with feelings of emotion and the past rather than being sharp and in the present. He needed to rest, if only for a little bit.

"You wouldn't mind?" He said looking longingly at the bed.

"Not at all!" Rose said, quick to step out of the room and encourage him to sleep "I saw some spare paper in the next room, I'd love a chance to sit and sketch Yzil."

Thinking of Rose curled up by the window staring out into the sea sketching somehow was the perfect vision to calm his worries, knowing she would just be in the next room while he rested.

"Alright" he said nodding "But if you need anything call out to me. I'm not that heavy of a sleeper, when I do sleep that is."

"You got it" she said throwing a thumbs up, something that made her look incredibly adorable to him as he watched her close the door behind her. Yes, he needed rest. He had never thought of someone cute, or adorable, those thoughts were foreign to him. As Rose headed into the next room Christopher found himself flopping on the small but fortunately soft bed and fell asleep fast.

Rose closed the door with a content smile, happy to help Christopher in whatever way she could. Caring for others came naturally to her, it always had. She guessed that was why she was so popular with the children at the orphanage. As she grabbed the piece of paper and a quill with some ink she felt excited being able to draw for the first time in a while. It would be interesting to use a pen and quill, never having sketched with one before. But soon as she stared out the window and sketched the horizon, she found it easy to manipulate after a bit of practice. She sketched for what seemed like hours, taking in every detail she could see of the island as they passed by, unsure of where they were but was sure they were getting closer. It was a bit disorienting without the passing light of the sun as she was so used to, but if she focused enough, she could see the sky twisting into a different hue as the water also changed its color as they slowly sailed by.

Soon though, she heard what sounded like music up on deck, the sweet melody of a violin as the stomps and claps of the crew echoed out up above her. Curiosity got the better of her as she ventured towards the cabin doors and listened intently. She smiled to herself, loving the sound now as many of the crew members began singing along to a song she did not know. She wanted a closer look, if only for a moment as she gently pushed the door open and looked up the stairs to the deck. Before she knew it though, big hands found her and snatched her right up in the air.


	13. Chapter 12:The Sounds of the Izabella

Sweat dripped down the sides of Carrion's face as he jolted up out of bed. Yes, he had another nightmare, one of many that plagued his sleep now for the years he had been resurrected. To think, he used to eat nightmares, have them slither around his neck as close as a lover, not that he had ever had one of those...

What woman in her right mind would want to actually touch him? Maybe that's why he had wanted the Princess Boa so badly, she had shown him some form of kindness, even if it was only to use him to learn his magic. Lot of good that did, she was gone as well as his magic.

But Rose had touched him, had placed that gentle warm palm against his shoulder that sent a heat he hadn't get in a lifetime through his skin. Yes it was only a touch, but to him it could have been the Lord himself and it still wouldn't have been as good as Rose's.

The thought of Rose made Carrion's groggy mind awaken as he wiped the sweat from his face and neck, eager to see her face to rid himself of the past that seemed to etch into his mind at any given moment. But as he stood up from the bed he noticed now music coming from up above on deck, and the distinctive laugh of Rose.

Bolting across the room Carrion opened the door fast only to find Hannibal sleeping soundly next to the window of the Captain's Quarters, but no Rose. He walked to the door and threw it open, his body in a cold fury knowing Rose had disobeyed him. Had he not been clear that they were not safe even here? That Motley could buy any of these men for information. The Hag had eyes and ears everywhere, even in the middle of the Izabella herself, why would Rose risk that after everything...

He stopped mid-thought as he stood in awe at the scene before him. Twirling on those curved legs, her hair whipping around as her smile shined as brightly as her crystal blue eyes was Rose, and she was dancing. The way her body moved around the other sailors, their whooping and clapping as they continued their sea songs were a jovial tune that made her look like a enchantress. She laughed and spun around with the men, her hands clapping high as she stomped her feet along to the tune. Carrion watched mesmerized, his body relaxing and being drawn to the crowd around Rose. It wasn't that she was dancing seductively or erotic in any way, but she looked more ethereal, a being from a whole other world that radiated joy and laughter. His hands wanted to reach out, to make sure she was real and not some vision. He longed to step forward, to match his body and move alongside her, their bodies dancing together in harmony.

But as soon as he made his presence known, the songs halted into quiet whispers as Rose continued spinning until she looked around confused on why the songs were stopped. Her eyes then fell on Carrion and he could see the automatic guilt sweep across her face.

"Hi" she said meekly as she came forward to him.

Rage started to boil up inside him, but not from her disobedience, but from the looks of fear, disgust, and most of all jealousy that came from the other men. They knew him, hell, everyone did. And they were probably thinking the same thing he thought to himself.

You don't deserve her, this creature of the sun, this beauty for the likes of you...

He knew. He knew that fact and that they may be right. His hand suddenly grabbed behind the small of Rose's back, drawing her possessively closer to him.

"Christopher?" Rose asked feeling her heartbeat speed up rapidly as his arm went around her waist.

"I thought I said stay below deck" he said still not taking his eyes away from the crew who now was splitting up into factions, their eyes shifting over to the couple with sneers, coveting Rose in their minds.

"I know" she said trying to will him to look at her "I just heard music and Captain Sampson had invited me to join. I'm sorry I didn't wake to tell you. But he assured me I was safe."

Carrion finally looked down at her "Perhaps you were, but I would still stay clear of most of these men."

"They didn't seem that bad to me" Rose said shrugging a bit, still aware of Christopher's hand on her lower back. She was inches from just pressing herself against his chest, an act that wasn't so nearly as bad as she thought it would be.

"Unfortunately you are still a bit naive with the actions of men" he said leading her back to the railing of the ship with a knowing stare, which made Rose blush furiously.

"Oh" she thought "He means that kind of action."

"Well uhm" she said with a small cough "maybe you are right. I don't really think of myself as attractive like that, I guess I am a little oblivious."

Carrion stared down at her bewildered for a moment. How could she think she wasn't beautiful? Hell, he had been hating himself more recently because her beauty wasn't just in her face but her soul, reflecting just how ugly his own seemed to be compared to her.

"That has been the most naive thing to come out of your mouth so far" he said which made Rose wrinkle her nose as him.

"I'm not stupid" Rose said with a huff.

"No, but you are more innocent than most" he said " most would want to protect that in you, while others" he said shifting his eyes over to some of the men still peering at her "Would do otherwise with that knowledge."

Rose didn't think her face could grow hotter but it did as she cleared her throat again at Christopher's comments. She hadn't thought of what other men might think of her, her thoughts being mostly on Christopher on that area, but now that he pointed it out it made some sense on the looks she had been given.

"Well I'll try and be more aware" she said with her head up high.

Christopher seemed pleased at this and suddenly realized he was still touching her.

"Ah" he said quickly removing his hand "Apologies. I'm afraid sometimes my emotions get the better of me."

"That's alright, at least yours don't show through your eyes. I'm pretty poor at hiding my feelings even when I try" she said with a smile as her finger tapped on her temple near her eyes.

"Your eyes are a gift from your mother" Christopher said seriously "You should never be negative about what she sacrificed for you."

"What does that mean?" Rose said but Captain Sampson quickly called out to the rest of the ship.

"NULLY HO!" He roared with a bit of laugh as the island came into view.

"Did we really get here that fast?" Rose asked astonished.

"The wind was in our favor" Carrion said looking at the island.

Nully didn't look like much from afar, Rose could make out a few tree lines and a few cottages she thought was a small village, but most of the island was taken up by a rather large and embellished building.

"What is that?"she asked almost breathless.

"It's the Repository of Remembrance" Christopher said "And it's where we need to go to find what your mother left you."


	14. Chapter 13: The Rose of Remembrance

The ship anchored off the coast of Nully that stood at eleven in the morning, the sun bright above the blue waves that were calm as the rowboat made its way to the shore. Rose sat as Christopher and Hannibal both took turns rowing the boat, the former prince wanting only wanting the trio to make their way to the island less one of the crew members decided to betray them. Rose had scoffed at Christopher being so paranoid but knew not to voice her opinion on the matter. She was too focused now on the building, the Repository of Remembrance.

"So I'm supposed to be looking for the book right? Any idea what the book looks like?" Rose said as the splashing against the row boat grew quieter.

"No idea" Christopher said "Nobody's seen it in centuries, and it's not exactly described on what it looks like on the outside, but more what's on the inside."

"I can't believe we are actually going to look for the Abarataraba!" Hannibal said "My brothers and sisters are going to be so jealous when they hear about this."

"How will I know where it is?" Rose said, nervous so much was relying on her.

"You will know" Carrion said "Your mother put it somewhere only you would know."

"How could I know that?" She asked a little frustrated "I didn't even know her, how could she trust me to know what she would do?"

"I guess you'll just have to have a little faith Rose!" Hannibal said with a Cheshire grin.

Rose rolled her eyes with a smile as the shore grew closer and closer.

"Are you sure I can't take a turn rowing?" Rose asked.

"You need to save your strength" Carrion said "I have no clue what's waiting for you inside, and I won't be able to join you on this journey."

"Your not coming with me?" Rose asked surprised.

Christopher shook his head "No, both of us might throw off whatever waits for you. You have to go in alone."

Rose began to feel that nervous flutter on her stomach she often felt when she was about to do something important like learning how to ride a bike or taking her first steps into a new school. But as the boat slid onto the beachside of Nully, Rose began to fidget with her harem pants and bite her nails discretely.

Hannibal happily helped Christopher tow the boat further up on the beach, his once distrust of Carrion slowly melting away the more time they spent together. Rose gingerly stepped out of the boat, slinging her backpack behind her as she stared up the cobbled stone steps that led to the magnificent building. It's walls were a tanned marble, polished even if the surrounding area had looked like it had gone through some rough times, with roman like pillars stretching high up to support the golden dome like roof. Long archways of windows let light come through what she suspected was the entrance of the building by the high wooden doors slightly above where she stood on the beach.

"It's huge" Rose murmured.

"It supposed to be" Hannibal said clapping some sand from his fur " This place is a museum for all kinds of royalty that has ruled through the Abarat. Even my father has a small room here where he keeps a collection of books that will be handed down to all of his children when the times comes."

"Do you think Christopher has a room here? I mean he was a prince at one point right?" Rose said quietly.

"Probably so, but that doesn't mean you should go look for it. Who knows what kind of baby toys he had on Midnight" Hannibal said with a slight shudder.

Christopher came towards them and offered to hold Rose's bag while they walked up the steps. Rose shrugged off her backpack and handed t over, her hands shaking slightly from her nerves.

"Everything will be alright" he said gently "Your mother wouldn't put you in harms way."

"Right" Rose said looking ahead "But we don't know who else planned for me to be here either."

"If you are in danger, I will come for you" Christopher said firmly which made Rose nod in understanding. She started for the stone steps before looking back once more to her friends.

"Wish me good luck" she said with a half hearted smile before turning and continuing up the steps. She took deep breaths as she ascended, careful to put her foot completely on the stones less she fall and go right back down to the bottom. The building loomed even in the sunshine above her, its monumental height intimidating as she drew closer and closer to the wooden doors. How was she ever going to find a book in this big of a building?

As she walked towards the door she could make out strange markings that lined the doors, the swirls and deep etchings foreign but somehow familiar. She gently ran her hand across the doors, feeling the wood beneath her skin almost hum at her touch. Gently, as if they were waiting for her, the doors swung open to reveal the inside of the Repository. It was very fancy and majestic looking, with rounded archways into different halls and curved staircases leading this way and that. Statues of what looked like people, but could easily be gods stood on pedestals around the entrance of each hall. The dome above, which was like the eyeball of a giant, let the sunshine in through glass panels, letting the light shimmer down where Rose stood in awe.

"This place is huge" she said noting that even the air had a distinct smell that reminded her of the museums back in the Hereafter.

"How am I ever going to find her room" she said as she began wandering. Hannibal had told her to have a little faith, maybe she should just follow where her feet wanted to go? If worst came to worst she could claim she couldn't find the room and that she was sure the others wouldn't throw off whatever magic she supposed was around this place.

She passed various rooms, all open for anyone to walk in, that contained different objects of obsession that past kings and queens held here. One room was compromised of many colors of fabric, while another held an abundance of children's toys. Several rooms looked like personal libraries and she wondered if maybe one of them was Hannibal's fathers room. She grew a little panicky when she saw nobody for the first few minutes, but soon the quiet almost calmed her, leaving her with her thoughts and her thoughts alone. Why would her mother trust her so much? Was she so sure she would know exactly what to do?

"You'd think with something this important she might have been a little more detailed in her instructions" Rose thought to herself when suddenly her ears pricked up at a soft sound.

She freezes as the noise grew by a few volumes, Rose trying her best to match what sound she was hearing in the echo of the hallways.

"It's" she whispered "it's a lullaby..."

Soft and sweet, a low humming sounded out along the walls of the marbled hallways. Rose felt a tightening in her chest as her ears strained to hear more, the sound filling warmth within herself as she tried to move forward towards where the sound was coming from.

"Hello?" she called out now "Is someone there?"

The humming continued but she could tell now where it was coming from. She hurriedly turned left down a hallway and went up some winding stairs to another floor.

"Hello?!" Rose called out again hoping someone could answer her back. She wanted to know what that song was, she needed to know it.

The lullaby was louder now, a woman's hum that stirred the very bones in Rose's body.

"Please!" Rose called out "please answer me?!"

But the woman only continued to him that sweet melancholy lullaby. Rose continued on, passing statues and rooms filled to the brim with object and knick knacks her feet almost running now to try and catch the song. Soon it started to fill the hallway, its echo loud as ever now as she grew closer and closer to a door at the end of a hallway. It was the only door she had seen in this entire place, its golden wood making a small almost insignificant door that most would probably look over. But Rose heard the lullaby coming from behind that door and she needed to know who was singing.

She came right up to the door, the woman humming softly on the other side as Rose orders her ear against the wood of the door.

"Hello?" She asked softly "Are you there?"

The door opened gently, making Rose jump back expecting someone to be standing in the room staring at her sternly. She had after all followed the woman and nearly chased her into this room, but to her surprise, nobody stood in the doorway.

"What the-" Rose began as she cautiously as she entered, staring around the nearly empty room. Inside the room, which looked more like a janitors closet compared to the other giant rooms, only a few pieces of furniture and some scrolls were visible to Rose. The furniture didn't look like anything special, a dark wooden chest with intricate designs around the trim and top, and two lower bookshelves that were pressed against the wall. Rose went over to the lower shelves and grabbed one of the scrolls, blowing the dust away from the parchment as she unraveled the paper.

"It is hereby decreed" Rose said in almost a whisper as she read out loud "That the one known as Candy Quackenbush, Child of the Hereafter, is hereby crowned Queen of Day, and has rule over the islands of Obediah, Nully, The Nonce, Qualm Hah..." her voice suddenly began to trail off as the parchment listed more of the Day islands down the scroll.

"This is my mother's room..." she thought as she sucked in looking around joe with wide eyes.

Her mother took this room, the smallest probably in all the Repository, and had only a few things left to remember her by...

Rose placed the parchment back into its slot and looked through another one. The scrolls contained her coronation papers, her marriage to her father, and what she guessed was her birth certificate although to her it looked more like the star charts she had always gazed at in the old psychic shop she used to pass by on the way to the grocery store.

"Rosaline Marie Quackenbush" she said "That's my name..."

She felt more...solid somehow, like she had been a ghost was suddenly flesh, the knowing of her real name, it did something to her that was unexplainable.

When she looked up from the scroll then she saw something on the wooden chest, a small detail in the many that surrounded the chest. It was a rose, the soft petals almost real in the right hand corner outside of the chest. She looked around the rest of the chest but found no other roses in the designs. Now why would she have a chest with all these wonderful Abaratian things carved into the wood, and then have the one thing from their world, a simple rose flower, etched into the corner? Unless...

"Rosaline" she said touching the rose on the chest "Rose...line."

Stroking in a straight line across the rose, she felt something tingle beneath her finger as a hiss sounded out in the quiet room. The etching of the flower began glowing as it hissed and crackled beneath the wooden surface, bright sparkles flying out from the design as Rose scooted back on her knees away from the chest, surprised she had actually done something right. When the etching was completely burned away, Rose saw it pop open to reveal a rectangle hole in the corner of the chest, just big enough for...

"Oh my God!" Rose hissed and reached into the hole, pulling out a tanned white book that was probably once leather,with old pages crinkling against the cover.

"This is it?" Rose said turning the book over and again in her hands. This was the great and powerful book everyone was on about? It looked like an old library book that had been shoved too many times in the back of the shelf. It's binding was frayed while the hardcover leather was white from too much exposure in the sunlight, while the paper which was probably once white was turning brown around the edges.

She opened it up, her fingers delicately turning the pages for fear of ripping them. But there was...nothing. No words of magic. No ancient diagrams. Nothing at all except blank page after page.

"Maybe this isn't it" she said closing it when she noticed a part of the book that was dog eared back.

"Oh what the hell why not"she said to herself opening the book once more to the saved page.

There written in the middle of the right page, was a singular sentence.

"To my daughter, Rose."


	15. Chapter 14: Prophecies and Poets

**There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.**

 **-Friedrich Schiller**

"To my daughter" Rose read out loud. This was the book, this was the Abarataraba. Christopher had said her mother was the only one to possess it, and now in her mother's room, here was the book addressed to her daughter, Rose. Her hands began to shake, immediately excited and scared at the same time.

"Mother" Rose whispered when a slight breeze suddenly shifted the air around her. Rose looked around but found no one was coming as she looked back down to see the book pages beginning to shimmer and glow. Rose held on to the book, her hands iron around the cover as the glowing grew brighter until it was a blinding light. She could hear voices, but they were only whispers that were fleeting as they dance around her ears and then faded away. She tried to look at the light, but her eyes stung and tears started to form at the edges making them close to the magic unraveling before her. She felt as if her head might implode, the whispers becoming frantic as the light pounded against her closed eyelids, almost making Rose want to drop the book, to turn away from it and run out of the room forever.

Then, silence.

Rose took a sharp inhale of breath, unsure if it was safe to open her eyes. Her arms shook as she lowered the book down to her lap, trying to calm her heart that threatened to beat out of her chest.

 _"Rose"_ a voice gently called to her.

Rose shot up her head and saw a woman bathed in a gold glowing light, her dark hair hitting her shoulders as two big eyes like her own looked down at Rose. She felt herself give a small cry, knowing this face, somehow from her dreams, knew that voice...

"Mother?" Rose said, her voice shaking as she stood still holding the book.

 _"If you are seeing this, it means that you have found the book my love"_ the vision of her mother said with a sad smile _"And it also means, that I am no longer here."_

Rose felt tears sting her eyes as she stood facing her mother, no, a memory of her mother. This was like a voice mail left to her in the form of magic, not the real thing, only a recording.

"I wish you were here" Rose said quietly.

 _"I wish I could have seen you grow. To become the woman I had hoped you would be. But because you are here, it means that what I feared has finally come"_ her mother said growing serious _"Motley has ruled for as long as I've been in the Abarat, and in her wake I have seen so much death and devastation, it was enough for me to know that I had to sacrifice myself to spare you and keep you safe."_

Rose listened intently, not know if the vision would respond to her even if she asked a question.

 _"But all that can change Rose, because of you. A long time ago, back when I was just a girl, I was given a prophecy of what was to come. I was told I would have a child, a child with the eyes of the Abarat. And this child would be the one to deliver the Abarat from the forces out there that want to destroy it. That child is you Rose. Your eyes are the only ones that can see what the Abarataraba holds, because the world is made of colors, not words. And the locket, that is the heart of the Abarat, called the Skein. It connects all things in the Abarat, you, me, the ground beneath your feet to the sky above you. Even the hearts of all the people in the Islands. With these objects Rose, you can defeat Motley, you can restore balance once again to our world. It is up to you Rose, it is what you were made for_ " her mother said, seeming to stare right into Rose's soul. She looked down at her locket, surprised that she had held the fate of an entire world around her neck for twenty some years.

 _"Rose"_ her mother said now a bit more gently _"I am sorry I have put this burden on you, but you won't be alone in this battle. Find Malingo, find John Mischief, find the Fantomaya, and most of all find Christopher Carrion. Carrion will protect you, no matter the cost. But I have to warn you, he is tough to be around sometimes, but I believe he above all people, is the one that can be redeemed, especially with your help"_ her mother said with a smile _"Read the book Rose, wield the power and save the world you were born in. And remember, even if you feel alone even in the darkest of Night, I love you and I will always be with you."_

Rose now knew she was all out crying, hearing her mother say she loved her, hearing her mother's voice at all, it was everything she had hoped. She wished she could be held in her arms, smell her scent and hear her lullaby once more, but slowly Candy's figure began disappearing in the hazy golden shimmer before vanishing in the air. Rose stood dumbfounded at first before her mother's words echoed in her mind...

 ** _Read the book..._**

"Okay" Rose said with a deep breath. She opened the first page and looked at the blank slate before her. The paper was tanned, with tiny sunspots along the corners, but it still looked in fairly good shape.

"There's no words" Rose muttered "How am I supposed to do this? Think Rose, what did Mom say? The world is made of colors, not words..."

Instantly as soon as she remembered there appeared a small blue dot in the middle of the page.

"Okay" she said looking down at the dot "At least that's a start."

Colors, maybe she was supposed to just be seeing the color blue?

The dot grew bigger now, the blue expanding like a flower blooming in the sun.

Rose tried to clear her mind with her eyes closed, willing the dot to grow bigger and fuller. Maybe there was words in the color itself? Maybe she had to imagine the paper being blue to understand, because it seemed the more she thought about the dot getting bigger, the more it expanded...

She imagined the paper filling up with color, the deep blue like the sea as they were crossing across the Izabella. The rolling of the waves and the sea spray against the ship, the quiet roar that came with each roll of the sea...

Rose gasped as she opened her eyes and the page was now full of colors of blue, the hues mixing and matching together in a swirl like oil in water.

"I did it" Rose whispered getting excited "I actually did it!"

It was so simple, whatever she imagined, whatever colors she could fathom, they would appear on the page. And in those colors, Rose saw everything. Flipping through the pages, like pools into other worlds, she learned how to bend the elements to her will, to see things that she hadn't noticed before, to move the fabric of matter within her fingertips.

It was...breathtaking.

Her mind buzzed with activity, smoking in the knowledge that was shown before her, her hands willing the air around her to her beck and call, the ground beneath her moving and shifting, it was enough to drive the average person mad with so much power and knowledge thrust upon them, but Rose took it with such ease and stride. When her mother said she was made for this, it made sense now as Rose moved her hands in circles, creating lights that swirled and moved around her fingertips. It was wondrous and overwhelming at the same time, but she wouldn't stop. No, this felt right, this is what she was supposed to be doing her entire life, her purpose...

When Rose had finally began to feel her body give in exhaustion, she closed the book almost regrettably, but she knew that too much at one time would surely cause some damage. She stood up, taking a deep breath as she held the book close to her heart.

The world was so new to her again, a world of magic and wonder she had never imagined, and she could control some of that now.

Carefully she walked out of the room and closed the door to her mother's memories. She would return here one day, if only to look back again at the few things Candy had left for her.

Suddenly, she felt her curiosity peek as she looked down at her hands, conjuring a small glowing ball that she concentrated on making it a seeker of objects.

"Show me where Christopher Carrion's room" she said quietly to the ball of light before it zoomed off down the hallway, eager to please it's mistress.

Rose smiled and thought that this was going to be more fun that she realized, and then began to follow her little creation down the hall to Carrion's room.


End file.
